1. Get outside. Explore the great outdoors with laminated flash cards to help children learn to identify different plants, trees and wildlife, even in the city. Keep eyes peeled for creepy-crawlies that love wet weather.
2. Dig it. Take buckets and spades outside for hours of fun, whether it’s making mud pies or digging over the allotment while the soil is soft and damp. Create prehistoric landscapes for plastic dinosaur toys.
3. Splash about. Make a rain gauge or water collector using plastic bottles and explore eco-friendly ways to conserve rainwater for household and garden use.
4. Get creative. Draw around puddles with chalk to create a ‘puddle monster’. Watch it evaporate and observe science in action. Use a stopwatch to time how long it takes to disappear or make it into a race.
5. Take shelter. If it’s really pouring, head indoors for a cosy time. Create a snug environment by building a pillow fort or den. Change into snuggly loungewear for extra cosiness when playing board games and reading story books. Fairy lights add the final flourish.
6. Hunker down. Make popcorn from scratch (use a saucepan with a clear glass lid to make the most of the visual spectacle) and watch films while the rain patters on the windows. Naps *almost* guaranteed.
Words: Dulcie Emerson
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