by Lokemun Magar

Created on: August 17, 2007   Last Updated: January 21, 2009

Are you cooped up in the house with a litter of sugar-high children while they stare gloomily at the rain through the misty windows? What are some fun rainy projects for such kids? Try the following crafts to wash the boredom out of the rain which can last for days at a stretch and kids get cooped up and fed up, even in a five-floor castle.

Most of them are suggestions from boys aged below ten and recollections of childhood days when computer and television games were unheard of.

A. Big Boot Prints:

When the rain lulls for a few moments of sun, get out the boots of all your family members, mix a huge pail of quick drying liquid Plaster of Paris.

Materials: Pail, Plaster of Paris , boots, oil-based paints, varnish, lettering, decorative bits such as beads, ribbons, lace, tinsel and paper cut-outs.

Make deep foot prints or boot prints in the soft mud and pour the plaster into the sunken mud. Once hardened, dig out the plaster, go indoors and decorate your foot prints or boot prints any way you want. They make a great decor for the family wall or gifts for any occasion, depending on your decorations.

B. Clay modelling:

Clay modelling is an alternative to working with Plaster of Paris. Younger kids can make photo frames, pencil holders and clay cookies and ginger bread men the same way you would with real confectionery minus the baking. Older kids can craft frames of figures using twisted wire, coat the wire with clay, then use tools to carve out the finer features when the clay is dry.

C. Personalized Jigsaw Puzzles:

Jigsaw puzzles can be made from scratch or from self-drawn or coloured pictures. You may paste the picture you are recycling from a magazine on card or even use a photograph.

Materials: Picture, paper, card, scissors, gum, crayons

Draw your picture on a piece of card and colour it. Use a dark pencil or marker to draw shapes over the picture. Finally, use a pair of sharp scissors to cut out the shapes.

If you have access to a laminating machine, you may also want to laminate your puzzle to seal in the colouring before you cut it up.

D. Shadow puppets:

Shadow puppets can be made from toys for younger children, bottles for First to Sixth Grades, cardboard for Fourth Grade and above, even with your hands and fingers.

Use a piece of white cloth or paper as a screen and cast their shadows from behind - you can get plenty of day fun making the puppets and night fun enacting stories despite the rain!

Materials: Transparent glass bottles, paper, cardboard, cellophane or plastic

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