Play Library » kids-activities

5 Rainy Summer Day Activities For Kids

Linette Gerlach — Sat, 08 Aug 2009 03:30:06 +0000

This summer we’ve had rain, rain, and more rain! So what do you do when you have whole days indoors because it won’t stop raining. So what have we been doing when it’s too cold and rainy to hit the pool or the park?

Hit the local library, most have summer reading programs for kids with daily or weekly activities. There are also tons of books and magazines to browse through and talk about.
Go bowling! Many bowling alleys have discounted rates during summer weekdays, since it’s their slow time.
Go see a movie, there are several summer blockbusters for kids this year. We usually go see a movie to avoid the heat of summer, but this year it’s been to avoid the rain! If you’re not worried about seeing the latest movies, many theaters have early morning showings of movies that have been out for a while for very reduced prices.
Visit a local museum, some museums are having free admission this summer.
Stay in and have a game day. Break out all the board games and have a game day marathon.

What does your family like to do on rainy summer days?

Image via sxc.hu

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Happy Fourth of July!!!

Kerri Aldrich — Wed, 04 Jul 2007 04:28:00 +0000

I guess I can wish a happy 4th of July to everyone, since it does appear on everyone’s calendar, but I’ll wish a special Happy 4th to those of you from the U.S. out there.

After a busy weekend of festivals and fireworks, we’re looking forward to a cookout with our parents and kids for the day itself. Nothing too high key, and I think we can all use the break! However, if the kids get a little bored, I may have to look at some of these 4th of July themed crafts and activities.

Enchanted Learning
FamilyFun
Kaboose
DLTK

Hopefully, that’s enough to get you started, too. Enjoy!

photo credit: Sister72

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Have you been to a spray park?

Kerri Aldrich — Thu, 28 Jun 2007 04:18:54 +0000

We met some friends this week at a new park in our area. A friend (hi, friend ) was so excited to share this find with us and all the kids. And the kids had a blast!

Have you been to a spray park (I’ve also heard them called a “sprayground”), yet? They seem to be popping up at parks in this part of the state, with one even expected soon at the park next to our house. With large, colorful structures shooting water out in all directions, they are an exciting attraction to the kids. I like the fact that I can go with all of my kids by myself to a place where they can enjoy the sunshine (make sure they have sunscreen!) and the water, without the dangers that I would face trying to watch them all at a pool. When they’re older, maybe, but not at these young ages!

The youngest was none too thrilled with all of the surprise blasts of water being shot at him, but the oldest two couldn’t get enough of the buckets of water dumping on them! I was wondering what happened at the park if there weren’t any kids around when another friend (hi, another friend! ) told me that the whole park was motion activated by a sensor near the center of it all. That was cool.

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Origami Cranes

Kerri Aldrich — Sun, 18 Feb 2007 06:38:53 +0000

Inspired by Hsien’s post on paper cranes, Bald Man surprised me with a flock of cranes as part of my Valentine’s Day gift. They were so beautiful, and I hear he had some help from cupid finding the right paper for the job (thanks, cupid ).

After folding eight of these cranes, he had all of the moves down for memory, and so he showed the kids and me how to fold our own cranes. We used construction paper for ours, and I could see why you would want a stronger paper for these as some of the tighter spots started to tear. Still I think they turned out pretty cute and colorful. It was a fun activity for us, and I can’t wait to learn something new!

Pictured above is the flock that Bald Man made for me. He said the first one took him about an hour, and then last 7 took him another hour total. He seemed like a pro by the time he taught us!

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The Pumpkin Patch at Fulton Farms

Kerri Aldrich — Mon, 23 Oct 2006 02:57:11 +0000

One of our favorite yearly traditions is to take the kids out to Fulton Farms to pick their very own pumpkins from the pumpkin patch. It’s a fun lesson in finding out where our produce is actually produced. You mean it doesn’t just grow at the grocery store?

A foot covered in goo from stepping on a rotten pumpkin, an itchy bumpy hayride out to the fields, and wonderful memories of a fun day out with buddies on a crisp, chilly October day. It’s a great time.

We didn’t make it out to the actual field this year, as the boys were not in a mood that would mesh well with a hayride. But we still got them to sit long enough to take a few photos.

You didn’t think I could get them all looking at me in one photo, did you? What are some of your favorite fall traditions?

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Children’s Discovery Garden

Kerri Aldrich — Thu, 03 Aug 2006 01:29:38 +0000

Hsien’s post of the Playground at Kew Gardens inspired me to bring along a camera to shoot a few photos while visiting a local park.

We live in a city that is trying to revitalize its image and its city life. We’re not a hotbed of activity yet, but a few improvements have made a difference in our lives. For instance, the kids and I were able to spend a day with friends enjoying the Children’s Discovery Garden at Wegerzyn Gardens, which is one of the local metroparks.

This brand new children’s play area has a variety of activities for kids of many ages and abilities. The wetlands area features a large pond with various critters swimming around inside. There is a water area with a little waterfall that the kids can get soaked in, a shallow creekbed (that even the baby can play in), and caves to explore.

A music area with giant musical instruments that 2-3 kids can play on at once, and a maze of waist-high shrubbery, allowed some artistic expression and navigation skills to all be exercised at once. The prairie lands showcase all varieties of plants that once grew wild in our area.

And the pièce de résistance, for my older two, anyway, was the play house. Just their size for looking out the windows and enough toys inside to keep them busy and out of the sun for the bit. Though I think the main attraction of the play house was the grandma who kept being the big bald wolf for them, pretending to try to blow it down!

Share with us your favorite park for spending a day out with the kids!

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