How To Make A Rainy Day Box

June 28, 2012 by 14 Comments

When I taught preschool I had a box in my classroom closet known as the “rainy day” box. This box only came out on days that we were stuck inside due to rain or extreme heat. Now that I am a mom I wanted to make a rainy day box for my children and since today is supposed to be about 100 degrees I thought the timing couldn’t have been better.

Jacob helping me shop

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I think Walmart is starting to get ready for Back to School Season…. lol

I headed to Walmart with my children to get all the supplies I needed. I debated between a cardboard box and a large clear bin to keep everything in. I thought the box would be easier to decorate but the bin would be sturdier so in the end I chose to put the items in a clear bin. See more pictures of my shopping trip in my Google+ story. Once home I gathered all of the supplies I needed to decorate our rainy day box.

The supplies I gathered

Supplies Needed:

Clear Bin (Or Medium Sized Cardboard Box)

Small Letter Cutouts

Elmer’s Dot Runner

X-ACTO Basic Shape Templates

Painters Opaque Paint Markers

Re-positionable Designer Masking Tape

How To Recreate My Box:

Use the Designer Masking Tape around the edge of the bin lid and also around the lower half of the clear bottom bin.

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Punch out the letters that you will be using. Flip each letter over and run the Elmer’s Dot Runner along the back of each letter. Then stick the letters on to the lid in the locations you’d like them to be. I chose to put the words “Rainy Day Box” in the middle of my lid.

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Next, it’s time to use the Painters Markers. These need to be shaken well and the tip of the marker pressed down and held down until the paint starts flowing.

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Take out the X-ACTO shape templates and use your Painters Paint Marker to outline a circle.

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I chose to do one color at a time, wiping off the template in between colors.

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The lid all finished. I was tempted to add more spots to it but didn’t.

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Once the bin was finished it was time to fill it up.

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The bin is ready!

You can put anything in your bin that you think your children would enjoy. I added toys and craft supplies that would only come out on these rainy or hot days. I also added in a box of Macaroni & Cheese and {nutritious} cookies so that even lunch would be fun!

What would you put in your rainy day box?

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(Disclosure: I am a member of the Collective Bias™ Social Fabric® Community.  This shop has been compensated as part of a social shopper insights study for Collective Bias™ and Elmer’s #CBias #SocialFabric)
Filed Under: Arts and Crafts, Preschool Tagged With: , , , , , ,

Rainy Day Fun {Top Ten Tuesday}

April 5, 2011 by 1 Comment

As I write this we are having another dreary, rainy day in Chicago. Today’s Top 10 Tuesday is a list of fun things to do with your family on a rainy day:

1. Head to an indoor playground. Many McDonald’s, community centers, and malls have children’s play areas where children can play for free. There are also other indoor playgrounds that cost money including: Monkey Joes, Lil Monkey Bizness, and Pump It Up.

2. Have a movie day (and don’t forget the popcorn)!

3. Bake. Kids love to help in the kitchen. Even young kids can help! My toddler likes to do the pouring and stirring.

4. Create a rainy day box that only comes out on rainy days. Fill the box w/ craft supplies or special toys and take rainy days from boring to *fun*!

5. Head to a local museum or aquarium.

6. Bring the outdoor fun inside. If you have items outside that can be played safely inside bring them in. We have a slide that can easily be brought inside for the day.

7. Have an indoor picnic. Spread out a blanket and have lunch on the floor of your living room. Make sure to choose easy finger foods for the meal.

8. Build a fort. Using pillows and blankets help your children make a fort. Make it simple or go all out adding a flag, decor, and anything else they can think of to personalize it.

9. Play a game. Board games, card games, duck-duck-goose, and make believe games all make the day seem to go by faster.

10. Cuddle on the couch with some good books.

{And as a bonus…}

11. Run “drive thru” errands. This may not be too fun at the time but doing these things on a rainy day means that you can be outside having fun on the sunny days! Consider the following errands that can be done without leaving your car: dropping off mail at the post office, picking up prescriptions, returning books and  movies, making a deposit at the bank, etc. (As a bonus, how about picking up lunch on your way home?)

What does your family do on rainy days? I’d love to hear your ideas! :)

Filed Under: family, Parenting, Top Ten Tuesday Tagged With: , ,