Unlike me, my children absolutely love the rain. The moment the first few drops fall they are begging to go outside. As long as they are warm, wearing coats, hoods and rain boots, I encourage it. Soon enough they will be grown and will be huddling inside out of the rain and leaping over puddles instead of into them.

Here are 10 rain inspired activities your kids can do.

Worm Spotting

• Worms love to come out when it’s wet and raining out. How many can you see?

Puddle Jumping

Who can find the biggest puddle? Who can make the biggest splash?

Sing and Dance: Grab an umbrella (or not) and sing and dance.

Try some of these popular songs:

• Singing in the Rain
• Rain, Rain, Go Away
• It’s Raining, It’s Pouring
• Itsy Bitsy Spider
• What’s the Weather Like Today – this is a song the kids sing every morning at school

Rainy Day Memories

• Give the kids a disposable waterproof camera and have them take photographs of rain drops, worms, puddles and each other enjoying the rainy weather

Collect the Rain

• Have the kids put out containers and buckets to collect rain water that they can use on a sunny day to water the plants, make mud pies, and paint with water.

Make it Educational

• What makes clouds?
• How is rain made?
• Where do rainbows come from?
• Have them observe how things change with the rainy weather and then draw a picture of what they see.

Measure the rainfall

• Put out a rain gauge and measure the rainfall. Have the kids watch the weather report or do some research on-line about how much rain fell in other parts compared to where you live.

Mud painting

• Mix up a bowl of mud and move to a covered area outdoors with some construction paper and paint a masterpiece while listening to the rain fall. Try painting a little mud onto the back of a leaf, rock or stick and stamp them onto the construction paper.

Water Party

• Celebrate the rain with a water party complete with

• Slip ‘n slide.
• Pull out the baby pool and have boat races – kids can blow on the sails to make them go faster.
• Hot a mud pie making contest.
• Water balloon toss – either toss water balloons into buckets of water placed further and further in distance, or stand in a circle and toss to one another, the first one to drop it is out.
• Balance the water bowl – each person puts a plastic bowl or container of water on their head and races from one side of the yard to the other.
• How much rain will fall in the jar – each person takes a guess and using a permanent marker draws a line on the jar and puts their initial next to it.

Scavenger Hunt

• Look for items such as
• 4 worms.
• A rainbow.
• A puddle.
• A leaf falling from a tree.
• Something that’s dry.
• An insect hiding from the rain
• An animal print or footprint in the mud

Can you think of any more fun outdoor rainy day activities? I’d love to hear about them.