Rainy Day Play Ideas

May 05, 2021

'And so the rain invites a street of colourful umbrellas to blossom.' Angela Abraham

I love the quote above and it reminds me that it's so important to see the beauty in the rain. After a very dry April the rain we received here in Yorkshire yesterday was very welcome.

I wanted to share a few rainy day ideas for you this Spring to support your nature based practice.

1. Head outside and smell the rain

We're often in such a race to get out of the rain, perhaps running to get inside, that we forget to actually experience the rain. Get dressed up in suitable waterproof clothing and head outside to smell and feel the rain. How does it sound? What temperature is the rain as it hits your skin (does it feel warm or cold?) What shapes do we notice the raindrops make as they hit the ground? Can you take 5 big deep breaths in and feel the rain calm your senses? As you tune in and smell the rain this is called Petrichor and it is the earthy scent produced when rain falls on dry soil.

2. Create a waterproof structure

Set the children a challenge of finding a way of staying dry outside or creating a den to keep teddy dry. Provide the children with a range of equipment to test out ideas; tyres, wooden canes, crates, umbrellas, shower curtains and tarpaulin. I quite like to use transparent PVC sheeting too as a roof for the den and sitting inside it with the children and watching the water cascade.

3. Paint with the rain

Fill a pot with rain water and use it to paint a rainy day picture!

4. Celebrate the rain on your nature table

Set up a collection of books that challenge the children's (and maybe yours!) thinking about the rain. How can you celebrate just how wonderful the rain is? How does the rain help us and what is it good for? What wonderful things can happen when it rains (e.g rainbows)