The weather outside’s been frightful. At State of Kid it’s been delightful (thanks, AC). Let it rain, it’s not a pain – we’ve got a list of fun rainy day activities for you. This week, we asked our instructors for ideas to entertain the little ones at home when they can’t make it to class. From an indoor scavenger hunt to a recipe for Banana Oatmeal Cookies, we’ve got you covered.
Carly Miller of Preschool Readiness | Indoor Scavenger Hunt
Yell out a color and have the kids search the house for something that color and bring it back to you. This can be done with older children as well, but level up by increasing the number of items to find. Ex: “Bring me something red,” OR “Bring me four items that are red." This is a great activity that works on color recognition, or numbers for older children, while putting their bodies to work. Moving/running through the house gets the whole body involved and adds a sensory component. It also works on visual scanning and sequencing. Children will love the challenge.
Cata Gutierrez of Red Violet | Water Play
Place a drop cloth or plastic tablecloth on the floor or table. Take a plastic bin, like a storage container, and fill it with water. Place the bin on top of the drop cloth. You can add anything: food coloring, little toys, pom poms, toy cars, leaves. Give your child a big spoon or sifter and have them fish out the objects and transfer to another clean bin. They can also use their hands! This helps with their coordination. Or make oobleck, a mixture of cornstarch and water, and add food coloring. Kids love getting messy. You can send them straight to the bath or shower after.
Oobleck Recipe:
4 cups of cornstarch
2 cups of water
Food coloring (optional)
Mix food coloring and water. Add the cornstarch and mix thoroughly. If the Oobleck feels too hard, add more water. When you grab the mixture, it should ooze out of your hands. The consistency is amazing!
Nancy Ferron of Miss Nancy’s Petit Chefs | Banana Oatmeal Cookies
Don't worry mamas, we got you! These easy-peasy three-ingredient banana oatmeal cookies are the PERFECT baking project to keep your little ones entertained on a rainy afternoon. They only require three ingredients, bake in no time and taste DIVINE!
Ingredients:
1.5 cups oatmeal
2 bananas
1/3 cup mini chocolate chips
Using the back of a fork, mash the bananas in a medium bowl until they are broken down. Add in the oats and gently stir until all of the oats and bananas are mixed together and look like thick cookie batter. Fold in the chocolate chips and give the mixture a quick stir. Form them into cookies, place on a baking sheet and bake for 12-15 minutes at 350F.
Rachel Silver of Smocked Art x The Dough Project | Sensory Play
Set out playdough (ideally from The Dough Project) and items kids can work with, such as cut up plastic straws, dried beans, leaves, mini stars, beads, buttons, rocks or anything you may have handy. They can create a whole story, for example, a farm environment with animal figures. It’s open-ended play that stimulates the senses. And parents can feel good about using The Dough Project; it’s chemical free and made with food grade ingredients and plant-based colors.
