Rain, rain go away….

Let’s go out and play anyway!

It has been raining a lot this fall. There was a week of beautiful weather, which allowed a lot of outside play time, but now it’s raining again. It’s easy to enjoying every moment of time spent in nature when the weather is nice, but when it’s drizzly it is definitely a challenge. Sometimes you just have to put on your rain hats, boots and raincoats and head out. One you do, you may not take long for before your kids discover that a pile of dirt makes a great slide. Up and down they’ll on their bottoms and their bellies. Try not to stop them because you worry that they will ruin their clothes and watch the fun ensue. That’s what play clothes are for anyway!

Another great rainy day activity is puddle jumping. Make some fun with the puddles collecting in the yard and around the neigborhood. Your kids will have a blast getting soaked up to their chests while jumping into them. You may not have thought much about this, but puddles offer a terrific learning experience for children. You can discuss with them how puddles are formed from rain, what happens when you splash in them and what happens to them after it stops raining. You can also find things to toss into puddles and things to float on top. Try finding natural objects around your yard such as stones, leaves, grass, pinecones and flowers. Discuss what happens to each one when you throw them in the puddle. Sort them into piles and ask your children guess what will happen to each item – some float and some sink. You can have a great time testing the various objects over and over again. You will be amazed by how something so simple can keep kids mesmerized.

Before long, an hour or more may pass before you realize you are all soaked and muddy. You’ll burst inside laughing about how wet you are and then enjoy changin into our dry, cozy clothes.

Your son or daughter may not remember this time you spent together, but you may never forget it. That’s the thing about spending time in nature. The memories you create while being out there last a lifetime.