Beat the Rainy Day Blues And Win a $50 Gift Card to Target
October 16, 2009 at 4:12 pm momconnect 22 comments
It’s that time of year again. The leaves are falling, the wind is blustering and the rain is coming down. As the dog days of summer come to an end many of us look forward to the end of sweltering hot days and the beginning of the cool rainy days of Fall and Winter. Until that first big storm hits and we remember… we have kids.
Enter our “Tell us your best indoor rainy day activity” contest!!
So we here at MomConnect want to take advantage of the great community we’ve built so far to pull together rainy-day activities from all of our MomConnect moms to create an eBook just for you! We want you to create the ultimate guide to keeping your kids busy with activities throughout the whole rainy season.
And when you take a minute to submit YOUR favorite indoor kid activity you’ll automatically be entered to win a $50 gift card to Target to help start building your rainy-day survival kit today! But even if you don’t pick up the gift card, you’ll still get a copy of the eBook just for participating.
What kind of ideas are we looking for?
We’re looking for indoor activity ideas that would help moms in every type of living situation imaginable. Ideas for:
- moms in an apartment and short on space
- moms without a lot of neighbors and play dates aren’t an option
- moms on a budget
- moms with three or more kids
- moms of only one or two
- boys & girls
- moms in the city
- moms in the suburbs or the country
You get the picture, now start brainstorming!
How to Enter:
- Simply leave a comment on this blog post with your best indoor-activity idea (don’t forget to put what moms your idea will be most helpful for)
- Include your MomConnect user name
- Check back everyday to see if someone came up with something better than you.
- Wait with baited breath for us to contact you.
Ok, so you don’t actually have to follow the last two rules, but you get the point. The contests starts today and we’ll keep taking entries through October 31 which is when we’ll turn off the comments on the blog. Then we’ll collect all of your ideas and put together the definitive rainy-day survival eBook for moms everywhere! We’ll choose one random commenter to receive a $50 Target gift card. But EVERYONE who contributes an idea to the eBook by leaving a comment will receive a completed copy of it! Just for contributing.
Good luck and let’s get those ideas rolling in & don’t forget to leave your MomConnect user name in your comment!
- Any ideas entered into this contest will be published into the MomConnect eBook. Your name & location will be listed along with your idea.
Entry filed under: Contests, MomConnect News. Tags: Contests.
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Meghan Harvey
1.
Tasha | October 16, 2009 at 4:46 pm
I have three boys so on rainy days there is nothing better to keep boys busy than legos! We have contests to see who can create the best Star Wars ship or house or vehicle. Then set them up where we can all vote “privately” for the winner. It’s a great way to spend time together, encourage kindness and teach good sportsmanship if they lose. I’m amazed at how my boys vote honestly, not just for their own and then pat each other on the back for a job well done!
2.
Marianne | October 16, 2009 at 5:12 pm
My daugters favorite rainy day activity is making paper hats. This takes up a good bit of time and we have fun flipping through magazien and finding pictures to paste on them. Newspapers, paper plates, paper bags — they all can be used to make paper hats. The sumplest one is using newspaper Heres a whole list of different patterns.
http://www.hatsmade.com/paper_hat_patterns.html
3.
judithsthoughts | October 16, 2009 at 5:32 pm
there are so many rainy day activities that are fun to do. setting up fun baking projects, fun art projects, making up skits and dressing up in costumes, playing board games – but my favorite activity for rainy days is to have a SCAVENGER HUNT around the house. you can either make a funny list of things to find, or you can plant clues around the house (since time is quite precious, id go with the first). if you really want to spice it up, you can then ask the kids to do “paper bag dramatics” with the items – basically they have to make up a story using the items as props.
its fun, its creative, and its very very entertaining.
4.
Jacqueline Leonard | October 16, 2009 at 5:33 pm
I have two older children and one younger. Of course the youngest is never unhappy and loves to lay in the floor and play all day whether we are outside or in, but the oldest two really get down when it rains.
I have a ton of VHS’s that I had growing up. They never get watched until a rainy day and the kids really love them! We have a “kid’s living room” set up in our basement complete with TV and VCR. We pull out the movies, pop popcorn kernels and top with all kinds of crazy toppings like sugar and cinnamon, or seasoning salt, depends on the mood!) The kids love spending time together and watching things they’ve never seen before.
5.
Lori Gross | October 16, 2009 at 5:51 pm
I have two 4 year olds and a 10 month old. On rainy days we watch movies, bake cookies, make things with play doh, play board games, do puzzles, read books, color, or get out old halloween costumes, face paint, and things like that and play dress up.
6.
Meghan Harvey | October 16, 2009 at 5:56 pm
One of my favorite things to do is make Ornaments. You can make them for any holiday or event as long as you have the cookie cutters to match!
4 Cups of Flour
1 Cup of Salt
1 1/2 Cups of Hot Water
Holiday Cookie Cutters
Decorations, Glitter, Paint, Beads, Etc.
Knead the dough & roll out like you would if you were making sugar cookies & then cut out the shapes as desired. Pop them in the microwave and then and cook on high for 2 minutes.
Then decorate & paint!
They make great decorations for any holiday as well as great gifts!
Plus they’re EASY!!
7.
Margie Crossman | October 16, 2009 at 6:30 pm
Bird houses,are fun to make,out of milk cartons and faom sheets,glue stick,paints,cut out flowers,use just about anything for decor,you’ll need wire to hang them,let the imagination take flight,you can use trigs,leaves,popcicle sticks,beads,glitter,paints,be sure to make a doorway at the buttom of carten before decorating,let the fun begin,collecting the supply’s you need is fun to!
8.
alteregomia | October 17, 2009 at 12:54 am
On rainy days we get out our favorite books and read them. We then pretend to be our favorite animal and follow each other around the room acting like the animal. For example my twins both like ducks so we say walk like a duck, walk like a duck, quack, quack, quack, quack, quack. And we waddle around the room while we sing. Even though the twins are two and my oldest is six they all love to play that game. We also sing songs like “i’m bringing home a baby bumble bee, won’t my mommy be so proud of me, i’m bringing home a baby bumble bee”, then you push your child’s belly button and say “ouch that be stung me!!! I think this is best for any parent but deffinately the more involved ones. It gives your child a sense of security and teaches them, that just because the weather may be bad outside it does not have to ruin their day.
9.
Yummy Sushi Pajamas | October 18, 2009 at 2:12 am
These ideas should be good for all moms!
1. With school aged kids, set jars outside to measure the rainfall. That way, you can turn a rainy day into a scientific learning experience.
2. Have a movie day, with each member of the family choosing their favorite movie to watch together.
3. Experiment in the kitchen. Bake cookies together, make homemade playdough, or decorate cupcakes.
4. Build a fort with pillows and blankets, and use it to play an exciting game of make believe with your kids.
5. Have everyone draw their very best rainy day pictures and use different colored paper to glue on “frames.” Tape the pictures to the walls to create your very own art gallery, and then have each artist explain their work.
10.
Yummy Sushi Pajamas | October 18, 2009 at 2:16 am
Oh! And my MomConnect user name is HLHArts!
11.
Tracy Lowman | October 18, 2009 at 2:22 am
Momma Tracy and Anna Marie love playing “karaoke” on rainy days. We plug in a microphone (or just use the one on the computer) so that Anna can hear her own voice coming over the speakers, and tune in to the Classic Soul station on Sirius Satellite Radio. It’s okay if we don’t know the words, we just make up our own (and Anna just “ah’s” along anyway…she’s only 10 months old!). She loves singing with Momma, and it’s like magic when she’s hears her own voice on the speakers. She really “turns on” and gets excited. It would also work great with more kids…they could all take turns, or sing in a group around the microphone. It’s also educational…Anna is learning about pitch, rhythm, and turn-taking all while having a blast with Mommy.
12.
Tina Vantassel | October 18, 2009 at 3:26 am
Hello I have 2 kids and what we do on a rainy day is baking maybe some art and a good movie
13.
Greta | October 18, 2009 at 9:57 pm
Nothing says fun like warm homemade playdough… its hours of fun!
glords
14.
Debbie Pendell | October 19, 2009 at 5:46 pm
Even though Debbie Pendell had three sons, the following is a great ideas for both genders, lots of age groups and different geographical locales.
1) BLANKETS and SHEETS! Provide blankets and/or sheets for kids to build “tents.” Actually, the imagination will dictate what the structures end up being ~ tents, cabins, castles, forts. The kids get to use the couches and chairs as support for the coverings and voile! They have a new playground.
2) Those same blankets and sheets can set a stage for a play. The kids set the stage, practice the parts and then perform the production when Dad gets home.
By the way, if it is the spring rainy season when you may still need the blankets some nights, this is a great transition before they are packed away for the winter. If it is the fall rainy season, this is a good reason to get the blankets out for airing out the packed away smell.
15.
Knitwit | October 21, 2009 at 11:28 pm
One rainy day activity that we like is to play restaurant. My son and I started doing this when he was 4 years old. He gets to plan the menu and make menu’s and placemats for the family. He also helps prepare the table and dinner. We sometimes incorporate a movie into the day and have a dinner theme. For example, we watched Lady & the Tramp and then made spaghetti and breadsticks for dinner.
16.
bernadette c | October 22, 2009 at 12:16 am
I have 4 kids (& 1 on the way) and there are so many things to do on rainy days…the best and most favorable one is to just go out and play in it!! I have TONS of pics of the kids running around out in it (of course if it isnt too cold and no thunder/lightening) and of us driving around in it.
I also make it a point to hit the % aisle at Michaels Crafts at least once a month to keep a good amount of crafting supplies and kits on hand. They have great kits for kids to do and they are fairly simple. (Great for all ages).
Of course there is always baking. My daughter, who is 5, has her Easy Bake Oven so we have tea/cake parties with her (the other 3 are boys so the tea parties are fairly short…lol) but then she likes to make popcorn in her Hello Kitty popcorn maker and we can all chill out and watch movies. We cook larger items too, cookies, cakes, pies, brownies, etc.
We have TONs of costumes between all the kids so sometimes they play dress up. On occasion we will have a theme day…dress up, art & creativity, reading, movies, etc so it gives us the whole day to come up with different and fun things to do.
17.
Noemi | October 23, 2009 at 5:42 pm
My son and i do Crafts things during raining day, And we something build a tent here with Chair and Sheet we play around. Also we build castle with Cushion from couch. There lot of stuff can do. I enjoy do tht with my son, I dislike putting him on TV all day. Rather do activities to have fun during raining. smile!
18.
Lisa | October 25, 2009 at 4:07 pm
Rainy days at our house involve all the blankets that can be found. The kids are given free rein to rearrange furniture and build tents. They use chairs, tables and couches. Then we pretend we are camping. We have a picnic, and make smores in the microwave. We also pull out the flash lights and challenge each other to make animals with our hands using the flashlights to shine on the wall. The kids love it when as a family we all pull out the sleeping bags and sleep in the tents they made.
19.
Ella | October 25, 2009 at 11:25 pm
One exciting thing you can do (especially with kids) is have contest. There is a number of ways you can do this. Kids love it!
You can have a contest about things they should know or will learn soon. This is great because when your kid is at school or on the playground, it naturally helps their interaction skills, entices a healthy curiosity of the world around them as well as improves leadership skills. They don’t know its schooling because you make it a fun activity.
Another thing we do is play her POP CD’s and she learns the original Artist or the name of the song. There are many ways you can get your child interested in our Culture, Art and History. Another way we play is she has to tell me which instruments are playing. She loves it and gets excited each time she hears another instrument. “I HEAR! I HEAR A GUITAR!” She screams in excitement as she rocks out to one of her favorite songs. It’s a blast! Only followed by, “OMG OMG! I CAN HEAR THE DRUMS, AND, AND THE PIANO”.
You put together questions and create a game with rewards etc. i.e. asking questions like, “Who is the first president of the United States?” or “If there are 100 pennies in one dollar, how many pennies are in five dollars?” You create the game according to their age group.
Before my daughter was old enough to understand these questions, I tailored the questions to something she was interested in. For instance her friends and she were arguing what type of fish Nemo’s mother was eaten by. She learned through the game that it was a barracuda fish not a shark. She never forgot it
I firmly believe its important to keep this next generation interested in our culture, art and history without bombarding them with “afterschool activities” ultimately preventing them from being a kid. She continually impresses her peers and teacher with her knowledge. The whole time she’s having fun and doesn’t know she’s learning. You may surprise yourself with how much fun you have with your children playing together on rainy days
20.
lisa mccarthy | October 26, 2009 at 11:42 pm
we do geussimation jars.we find jars and fill them up with whatever each child wants and guess how much is in each jar.it gives them great math practice as well as a chance to be creative. estimating goes a long way with learning skills in life.
21.
Tears | November 1, 2009 at 4:19 am
Hi my favorite rainy day activity is to Finger paint with the kids. but not in the way you may think. We use cheep shaving cream as paint and we paint it on the windows. Its cheep easy and doesn’t make a huge mess when it splatters and what not. It takes no special setup and the only space required is enough room to stand in front of a window or sliding glass door. When you are done and want the art work washed off you can take a damp cloth and wipe it away or you can leave it for a time. Have the children do holiday murals on your windows to enjoy for a month or so or wash it off and let them make a new picture each day.
22. Rainy Day Activity eBook & Rainy Day Blues Contest Winner! « MomConnect – The Blog! | November 1, 2009 at 7:38 pm
[...] moms and MomConnect Blog readers who left suggestions for activities to do during rainy days in our Beat the Rainy Day Blues contest! We are happy to announce the winner of the $50 gift card to Target, HLHArts (A.K.A. Yummy Sushi [...]