Rain, Rain, Go Away!
Make it stand out
It has rained. And rained. And rained some more…. It really is officially the wettest February (and March) on record. And I’m not sure it’s going to stop.
Rain on a school day is the teacher’s worst enemy. Wet playtimes mean that you don’t get a break as a teacher. Having a quick banana and a sit down can make or break you some days, am I right?
It also means dirty shoes, floors, carpets, uniform, wet coats and trousers and socks. And forget setting anything up outside that can withstand a rain storm, because, while you might have a few things in your toy cupboard that don’t mind getting wet, chances are, your staff don’t like getting wet either and will hide in the role play to avoid it!
And the noise! When you are used to having half your class outside, then having them all back inside is enough to burst your ear drums and make concentration very difficult for everyone.
There are so many things about wet days that I don’t like. Kids get so hyped when they haven’t been out, but there are some great opportunities too. So here are a few ideas that I use to try to avoid the hell of a wet day.
Kids often don’t care about being out in the rain, but they do need to be warm and dry. Where possible get them in waterproof clothing with hats on, hoods up and gloves.
Try stringing up a tarpaulin from a roof and on a slope to a fence maybe? If it’s on a slope, that will avoid it filling with water and collapsing or splitting. Weigh the edges down with tyres or heavy pots. The outdoor tent will be super popular and give more shelter.
Water play may seem beyond lunatic, but having water out when it’s wet means that you can experiment and no one minds about getting wetter!
Try having a car wash. Have a tuff tray with some mud or brown paint in. Use a plank to create a beige to a table with washing up bowls, scrubbing brushes, cloths and tooth brushes. Have a plank to a tuff tray with a towel in the bottom and some rags to dry the cars, and then a plank to a garage. If you put a plank from the garage to the mud, then the children will be busy for hours getting the cars dirty, then driving to the car wash and back to the garage. You can help keep them warm by putting warm water into the washing up bowl.
Give the children child sized brooms. Sweeping the water out of the area will help to keep it clean, it’s great fun, and it improved shoulder strength and gross motor skills.
Put out some bowls and see which bowl collects the most water.
Fill up your water tray with warm soapy water and then wash the dollies outside, or scrub the bikes and outdoor toys.
Pop some washing up liquid in the water in the water tray and throw in some whisks. See how many bubbles they can make. This is great for wrist strength!
Use a fence or wall as the canvas and try drawing with wet chalk to make a picture. You can also paint with water on a fence as a no mess play activity.
Use guttering and tubes. Challenge the children to redirect water from a gutter or from outside in the playgound and transport it to a further away place - the drain maybe? Or the next door class? Or the water tray? Watching the rainwater trickle away would be a great starter for a conversation about waste water and the water cycle.
Inside, you can have fun too! Keep children who are not working with you engaged and busy to keep the noise levels down.
Rainy days are the perfect opportunity to delve into sensory experiences. Set up a sensory table with materials like rice, pasta, or water beads (please be careful with these!) for little hands to explore. Encourage them to describe what they see, feel, and hear – you'll be amazed at the vocabulary they come up with!
Can they make a boat or a shelter for the characters in the small world to keep them from getting wet?
Can they make a weather chart for the class room that you can laminate after school? Give them the cards from your current one as inspiration and see if they can make bespoke ones.
Put a small pop up tent in your role play area and give them a picnic blanket and some fake food. You could even put some sleeping bags in the tent. Children can role play camping and could act out a rain storm in the middle of their picnic.
How about an indoor Easter egg hunt? Hide plastic eggs around the classroom (or your home, for those homeschooling) and watch as the excitement builds. You can fill the eggs with small treats, stickers, or even simple math problems for them to solve – the possibilities are endless! You can get one group to fill the eggs from a selection of small world items and hide them around the classroom. When the eggs have all been found, then swap and the hiders become the egg seekers. To amp up the learning, could all the objects in the eggs start with the same sound? Or two sounds and then challenge the children to sort the sounds onto sound cards…
How ever you make the rainy days bearable, remember not to strain your voice by shouting and to be consistent - it WILL pay off in the end. It’s just exhausting during the process!
Have a Happy Easter break and may it be sunny and warm on the lead up to it!
Sarah and the Blossom team.
