Rainy Day (or Any Day) Activities

If you are like me, a rainy or snowy day brings a slight feeling of dread.  I love creating fun play or learning activities for my kiddo, but suddenly between breakfast, lunch and nap times, I have just a little too much extra *indoor* time to kill… and we can only watch so much Daniel Tiger. 😉  Fortunately, there are so many resources out there with awesome ideas for ways to fill the time while having fun.

In this age of Pinterest, there is always, well, Pinterest to help inspire great ideas (follow me!).  But I also love having something a little less overwhelming to flip through sometimes.  That means books and good websites.  I like ones that have lots of pictures, easy-to-follow instructions, and lots of ideas for varying ages.  Many of the books and websites listed here focus on craft activities, but I have also tried to include some that feature games and other physical activities, as well as books that have a science component.  Enjoy!82863918594402

Awesome Arts and Crafts Books:

Awesome Science Play and Experiment Books:

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Excellent Websites:

Craft supplies that are useful to have on hand:

  • Vinegar
  • Flour
  • Baking soda and baking powder
  • Oil
  • Cornstarch
  • Salt
  • Cream of tartar (good thing to add to homemade play dough because it makes it last longer)
  • Food coloring (or your fave alternative to this)
  • Markers and/or crayons
  • Scissors
  • Glue (both glue sticks for the kids, and Mod Podge for adults/older kiddos) and/or tape
  • Tempera Paint (various colors, but at least the primary ones!)
  • Construction Paper
  • Paintbrushes
  • Scissors (adult and safety scissors if you choose to let the kiddos cut)
  • Plastic tub or bin for messy activities (helps confine the mess), and a few tupperware containers of varying sizes
  • Spray bottle
  • Medicine dropper
  • Waterproof tablecloth (or any large plastic sheet) to lay down under messy projects… easy to take outside and hose off after!
  • I also keep a drawer of recycled stuff (plastic lids or containers, toilet paper rolls, straws, egg cartons, old socks, whatever) to pull from when needed

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Looking for more books at your local library? Head to the kid’s non-fiction section, and then find go to the call numbers listed below.  (For smaller libraries, the children’s non-fiction may be mixed in with the adult non-fiction – so look there instead, and find these call numbers with a “J” in front of them):

Games: 790s

Arts and Crafts: 745

Science Experiments: 507.8, 530, 372.3

And, for more ideas, follow me on Pinterest and Instagram.  I often post the crafts and activities I have done recently with my daughter.  Have fun!

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