Rainy day activities for the kids

Diane Laney Fitzpatrick
Use everyday items around the house for entertaining the kids.
Got the rainy-day, my-kids-are-stuck-in-the-house blues? Too miserable outside to even rent videos for your kids to watch? Take a good look inside your house. You can amaze your friends and entertain your children with simple household items, turned into hands-on projects for kids of all ages.
If your kids look at pipe cleaners, construction paper and Popsicle sticks and say, “Been there, done that,” these ideas are for you. You probably have most of the supplies in your house already.

A Roll of Masking Tape and Thou
Playing with masking tape won't hurt your carpet, as long as you use regular, cheap masking tape and your carpet isn’t too fluffy. Move some furniture so you have a big area free to be creative.
House plan: Tape out squares for different rooms, leaving spaces for doorways. It should look like a drawn house plan or a cross-section aerial view of a house. Then put a bunch of play kitchen toys in the “kitchen,” stuffed animals and pillows in the “bedroom,” baby dolls in the “nursery,” and riding toys in the “garage.” Kids love walking in and out of the doorways. Even macho little boys will like this version of playing house.
Hopscotch: Tape out a hopscotch outline and play indoors.
Names and Pictures: Let the kids write their names in block letters with the masking tape. Or let them make shapes or pictures with it.
Bean Bag Toss: Tape out squares of various sizes on the floor. Tape out a strip where your child should stand. Standing on the strip, have him toss a beanbag or Beanie Baby, trying to hit the squares.

Is it a Liquid or a Solid?
It’s neither. And both. Cornstarch is one of the most fascinating things to a child. When mixed with the right amount of water, it changes forms from liquid to solid and back again, depending on if it’s kept moving. Playing with cornstarch will keep your kids fascinated for hours.
Mix together 1 heaping cup of cornstarch with ½ cup water in a plastic container or bowl. Add a few drops of food coloring and stir. Pick the goop up in your hands. While you’re working with it and it’s moving, it’s a solid. Stop moving your hands and it turns back into a liquid. (Mixture will keep in the refrigerator, but only a couple of days. It gets moldy.)