Rain, rain go away!!!!

Today was the third day in a row that we have had dreary rainy weather, and my boys are going crazy! We have been unable to get outside, so finding things to do inside that will entertain both of them has been a challenge. My task yesterday was searching the internet for ideas for craft projects and places that we could go in our area that have free or cheap things to do. I got some help from my August edition of Parents magazine. They had an article on boredom busters, I was able to find a lot of information from them. I found out that my area has a lot of parks that do story times and nature walks. I also found a few web sites that have craft ideas that will keep them busy.

One craft idea that I found was getting wooden letters and letting my 4 year old paint them and while he is painting them we can talk about what sounds they make and what words they make. I thought that was a wonderful idea and then we can use them to help teach my toddler his letters. We haven't done that activity yet but I am hoping to do it in the near future.
I also found some web sites that have printable worksheets or coloring pages for them to do. My 4 year old really loves to do mazes and dot to dots, so that is perfect, instead of spending $8.00 on a book at the store I can print the pages off at home and he has endless fun! Some of the web sites I looked at were: www.Familyfun.com; www.education.com; and www.kaboose.com; all of those had a tun of things that would keep my kids busy for a long time. I also really enjoy letting the 4 year old go to www.pbskidsgo.org, he loves those shows and likes to play the games. There was one web site that sends out a weekly newsletter with craft ideas and recipes you can sign up for free and they send it to you in your email, that one is: www.kidscraftweekly.com. I was totally amazed at how much information I was able to get in just a few hours of internet searching!

So today since it was raining and we were supposed to go swimming with some friends (the second time we tried!), I decided to try one of the craft ideas. Its called Oobleck! My kids loved it! And the best part was it was SUPER easy to clean up and not toxic so the toddler could eat it and I didn't have to worry. The recipie was so easy to make:

1 cup of water
a couple of drops of food coloring (what ever color you want)
2 cups of corn starch

You add the water and food coloring and then slowly add the corn starch. Stir with a spoon until it gets to hard and then use your hands to finish mixing it up. My 4 year old played with it for at least 20 minutes (he never stays with anything that long!) and the toddler played for at least ten minutes. This was the easiest thing to clean up, even if you get it on your clothes just take a damp rag and wipe if off. I got some on my shirt and thought I was going to have to change my clothes but it just wiped right off! A wet wash cloth and the table was clean, no kidding!!!!
I hope this has given you some ideas to stear off the boredom in wet summer weather. I know I now have at least a few ideas to keep in mind if we get bored.