Wow!! This compilation of activities was originally put together by Rolaine Martin. It was passed to me via two of my favourite folks: Tiger Rousseau and Alana Raymond. Thank you!
The best rainy day activity is to get out and enjoy it!
Before venturing out on a rainy day some ground work must have taken place. Girls should be aware of different weather types and how to dress for each event. Proper rain boots, coats and hats must be worn (or brought to camp). You must also educate the girls that they should never venture outside if there is a threat of a thunderstorm. This would also be a good time to discuss where it is safe to be during an electrical storm.
Do you realize how many girls have never been out in the rain except to run from the car to the house? If they are dressed properly there is nothing more exciting that watching and sharing the excitement of the girls in their first rainy day outing.
The Weather
By Fred Winslow Rust
Weather Experiment
You need 4 large coffee tins, some baby or doll clothes, thermometers, and some warm water.
This should help the girls get a better idea of why dressing for the weather is important. For more weather-related clothing experiments, visit the "Dressing For The Weather" page.
Lots and Lots and Lots of Rainy Day Activities
Cabins Round: Each cabin or tent group gets 20 minutes to come up with an activity and host it. Half the group hosts for the fist round and then switch for the last half. The girls will take ownership and you have just come up with 2 hours of unplanned program work.
Campfire with rain songs: After a busy and exciting day in the rain it’s time to warm up and sing a few songs around the camp fire. Why not include some rain songs such as: Singing In The Rain, We Want The Sunshine, Rain Echo, Raindrops Keep Falling on My Head, We Came together to Camp in the Sun, and it Rained.
Catching Raindrops: Have a variety of different sized containers and have the girls go out and fill them with rain drops. Have containers with narrow mouths (pill bottles) and wider mouthed ones (drinking glasses), which is easier to catch them in? Which fills faster?
Fire Lighting in the Rain: For the older girls this is the perfect opportunity to have them experiment with lighting a fire in the rain. They should know where the driest tinder and wood will be and how to strike a match with out it being put out. Make sure you have lots of matches and even some of the water proof ones depending on the severity of the rain.
Holey Garbage Can: Take an old plastic garbage can and drill several hole around the outside. Sand down the holes so they are smooth. Place the can out side in the rain. The object is for a team of girls to see if the can plug the holes and see if they can fill the pail. This can be a team competition or a group activity.
Kim’s Game: While sitting outside listen for different sounds and smells during the rain. Have girls close their eyes and place different textures for the rain to fall on, such as: tin foil plates, plastic wrap over a bowl, newspaper, etc.
Mud Pies: This old standby has been passed down through the generations and is just as popular today. After finding the perfect mud puddle girls can find sticks, leaves, pine cones and other available artistic tools to create a “mud”sterpiece. They can also be given a piece of newsprint and they can use the mud like a finger paint. Messy but fun. (Have a basin of warm water available for washing up).
Puddle Jumping: Have the girls go out and see if they can jump over the puddles. Make sure they are dressed properly (rain pants and boots), as sometimes they think they can jump further than they can and end up in the puddle. As long as they have dry clothes or are ready to go home this should not create too much of a problem. Parents should be warned ahead of time to expect a soggy child.
Rain Art: Have the girls paint a picture using tempra paint. Before the paint has dried completely place then out side in a gentle rain for a few minutes and see what changes have occurred.
Rain Drops: Place a jelly roll pan filled with 2 inches of flour outside in the rain. Wait a few minutes and bring it in. Let the flour dry for about 3 hours. Sift out the hardened flour pellets. Arrange by size. The smallest pellets were made by the raindrops that fell the farthest to Earth.
Rain Hike: Go for a hike just to enjoy the feel of walking in the rain. When you are almost back to camp have the girls line up in one row. To move a step forward and finish the hike they must TRUTHFULLY answer yes to several questions such as:
Rainbow Hike: Go on a short hike with the girls and see if they can find objects that are the same as the colors of the rainbow (ROYGBIV) red, orange, yellow, green, blue, indigo, violet.
Storm Approaching: Fill a squirt bottle with water. After reviewing the points of the compass. Tell the girls a storm is approaching from a direction. The girls must run to safety in the opposite direction. Spray water on those who don’t get out of the storm’s path.
Water Tag: Using sponges, the person who is it must tag the others by throwing a wet sponge. This can be done in swim suits if weather permits.
Worm Rescue: During the rain worms get stuck in puddles or on the surface. Rescue these worms by putting them carefully in a dark drier place such as under a leaf or in the bush.
Rainy Day Box - Stuff to Have on Hand Just In Case
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