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Cheap and Cheerful Activities For a Wet WeekendThere's nothing worse than being stuck inside on a rainy day with nothing to do. It's bad enough as an adult, but even worse if you've got children to entertain. It's the 5th day in a row when it's rained for some, if not all of the day. There are storms around, and the lightening keeps shorting out the electricity, so even if it I wanted to spend all my time on my computer or the internet (which I don't), it's not the wisest thing to do. I'm sure other people feel the same, so I got to thinking about things that you can do to brighten up the most miserable days.Here are some suggestions of things to keep you occupied. For some of them you'll need to do a little advance preparation, but for others you can use what's around you. Dance ... put on some lively music, turn it up loud, and let yourself go. Forget those inhibitions, no-one can see you (except maybe your kids). Be Michael Jackson, John Travolta, Madonna, Kylie, whoever you want to be. Shake that ass, swivel those hips, strut your stuff! It's sure to get you laughing, and use up all that energy as well! Make a family tree ... get out all your old photographs, papers, whatever and start to build a picture of your family's past. You can add to it later on by researching your ancestors, but start by sorting things out. And make a note of any stories that come to mind as you do it, like where you were when that embarrassing picture was taken, so you can add them into your book. Take the opportunity to tell your children the stories now Learn to knit or crochet ... theknittingsite has a video section with basic knitting techniques, it also has links to some free pattern sites; or try learntoknit or learntoknit.lionbrand. These last 2 sites also cover crochet work. Try crochet.about or crochetpatterncentral for how-to sections and free patterns Then buy in some odd balls of wool, or find some old knitwear you can unravel and re-use. If you get lots of bad weather you'll soon have a nice big blanket to snuggle under; and if it brightens up that coaster will always come in useful! De-clutter ... attack your wardrobe or cupboards and give them a good clear out. Decide if there's anything you could sell on eBay, and take photographs ready for listing it. Get the kids involved in choosing clothes, toys and books they don't want any more Make up a story ... starting 'It was a wet weekend when suddenly...'. Everyone says a sentence in turn. If you want, write it down so you can carry on with it next time, or just so you've got a record of it Put on some music you haven't listened to in a while ... and reminisce about what you were doing when you first heard it Get out some coloring books and crayons ... and fill them in using the brightest colors you've got. You can get drawings to color from cdkenterprises or make your own Read aloud ... choose a good story and put as much emotion into it as you can. You'll soon forget the weather outside Draw smiley faces ... get some paper and draw as many different smileys as you can think of — winking, grinning, with sunglasses, goggle-eyed — your imagination is the only limit. Color them brightly then stick them up around the house to keep you smiling Make simple flicker books ... a face winking, someone doing star jumps, a bird pulling up a worm. It's easy to make animations with as few as 2 or 3 pictures. Check out www.makemovies.co.uk for simple 2 page roller books that young children could make. Download this Free Flicker Book Watch a movie that makes you giggle ... it doesn't matter that you've seen it hundreds of times before, if it makes you laugh out loud it's ideal to watch on a wet, miserable day Take pictures of the raindrops ... you can get some creative pictures if you focus on raindrops on the window, leaving everything else out of focus. Or try taking pictures of people walking in the rain, or street lights. If you've got a digital camera, experiment with different exposure times to see what effects you can get Put on some loud rock music and play air guitar ... the kids will love to join in as well Do puzzles ... get your brain working with number, word and logic puzzles. Try thinks.com or www.freepuzzles.com for lots of puzzles for different ability levels. Get free sudoku puzzles at websudoku Put your waterproofs on ... go out and stomp through all the puddles you can find, especially the deep ones. Adults too. Okay, you'll be wet, your clothes may need washing, but that's a small price to pay for all the fun you'll have Write your reasons to be cheerful ... get everyone to think of at least 3 things that make them smile, giggle or feel happy. Tell them to one another and write them down. Use them when someone is feeling sad Play a board or card game ... choose something that everyone can such as checkers, ludo or snap! Practice magic tricks ... ready to amaze friends and family. Watch video demos at magic and tricks for kids and xploremagic Snuggle up warm ... with a good book and a mug of hot chocolate. Let everyone do their own thing but stay together in the same room so you can still share Write a letter ... yes — write a real old fashioned letter! To someone you don't see very often, maybe an elderly relative. Get the kids to write their own bits as well. Your activity can become someone else's enjoyment Make sock puppets ... use buttons for eyes, wool for hair and scraps of fabric for ears. Make a few different characters then stage a puppet show Make paper boats ... simple folded paper boats that can be sailed across puddles when the rain stops. Visit origami-instructions or watch this youtube video Design cards or draw pictures ... draw designs on paper or use scraps of material, paper, silver foil, whatever you have to create designs straight onto card Make rainbow catchers ... save up old CDs and DVDs and fasten them together with string. Make a few runs of 3 or 4 in a row and fasten them to a wire coat hanger to make a chandelier effect. Hang them in a sunny place and the shiny sides will give you rainbows. They're also good for scaring birds Play charades ... with a theme so everything has to be about sunshine Make some comfort food ... chocolate brownies, cookies, waffles, whatever you fancy. Find your favorite comfort food here. If you don't have the ingredients handy, cook a meal or make some warming soup. It will keep you occupied and warm you up inside and out! Get the kids baking too Find some old magazines ... and cut up the color pages into small pieces to make mosaic pictures. Copy a picture or make your own up. If you're feeling adventurous try making a montage of a face Got a lamp post and umbrella handy? ... do a Gene Kelly impersonation Make a scrap book ... choose a theme and search through old magazines for pictures, headlines or anything that fits your theme Sit back and enjoy it ... if you're in the middle of a thunderstorm switch the lights off, open the curtains and watch. Marvel at the awesome power of the weather. It's a good way to help children get used to thunder and lightening so they won't be afraid |
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