We’ve all been there. A rainy day. Your kids are home. You can’t go outside and you need some ideas on what to do. Here are 5 ways we put our creativity to the test and survive those rainy days (and weeks)!
1. Indoor play areas are fabulous.
Our favorite indoor play areas are at McDonalds (near Park City or Gap, PA) and Chick-fil-A (Lancaster or Wyomissing). Ordering from the dollar menu is a great way to keep it cheap at McDonalds. Consider going during snack time instead of over a meal, and get some of those little yogurt and fruit parfaits for only $1.00!
For Chick-fil-A I like to buy gift cards through Raise.com. I signed up for email alerts when a new gift card becomes available, and typically the best deal I find is about 14-16% off. This means a $50 gift card for only $42, or you can just consider that a FREE meal!
Raise is offering a special discount if you sign up now you’ll get $5 credit off your first purchase!
Remember to sign up for alerts first, and then wait until you see a discount you like. The $5 credit will wait for you.
2. Have some character building TV shows up your sleeve.
We recently got a Right Now Media membership through a Molly Green subscription, and we love it!! We don’t use media too much around here, but I am so impressed with the TV shows available for kids on this network.
We use it with our Roku, and have immediate access to Chuck Swindols Paws and Tales, BOZ, 321 Penguins, Monster Truck Adventures McGee and Me, and many more! You can also watch them on your laptop, phone or iPad.
Follow this link to search all the resources available!
3. Try some simple recipes.
Our family absolutely loves working in the kitchen. Don’t get me wrong, it can be stressful, but when we’re able to stay calm and delegate tasks according to their age, we have A LOT of fun!
We like to make no-bake energy bites, yogurt bites, marshmallow peanut popcorn, and I’ll even do some freezer meals with the older kids like egg burritos and cheesy broccoli rice casserole!
4. Take a field trip.
There are so many opportunities for things to do with kids for FREE or really cheap. Check out this list of 15 Before-Naptime Day Trips You May Not Have Known About in Lancaster County or 25 family day trips in Pennsylvania. If you live elsewhere, just do a simple pinterest search like “things to do with kids in Lancaster, PA”.
Also consider your local library or museums. Did you know you can reserve FREE museum passes from the local library?
My husband has a free annual membership to the Science Factory with his employer. If you have never been there, this is well worth checking out on a rainy day, especially if your kids love science, engineering, building and math. Toddlers, preschoolers, elementary age and even older children will find things to keep them occupied!
5. Use YouTube together as a family.
You might see this suggestion and say, whaaaaat?! But there are so many positive, educational things available on media today if you know where to look for them. I usually learn about them through word of mouth from friends. Here are some of our favorites, that I am certain your family will enjoy too!
Art for Kids Hub. Have you heard of this? It is awesome! A dad and his son or daughter will draw something together. You watch them draw it step by step and draw it with them. They teach you how to draw a minion, a blue jay, Princess Elsa, Olaf, dinosaurs and more!
Smarter Every Day. If you love science and learning, this is for you. Destin is a dad who loves to learn and shares his adventures and questions and interviews in his videos. He tries riding a backwards bike, investigates cat physics and why cats always land on their feet, shares what he learned in the Amazon, and uses slow motion to understand how Houdini died.
Kid Snippets. Ok this isn’t really educational, or character building, or…. well, its just if you need a laugh! These dads record kids talking and then record video of adults acting out what the kids are saying. They are hilarious!! Videos are listed under their BoredShortsTV channel. My personal favorite is Kid Snippets Math Class.
