Rainy Day Adventures

The weather may be on the damp side, but there’s no reason that needs to stop you from connecting with nature. Try these rainy day activities.

1. Go puddle jumping. It helps if you have small children so you can excuse what you’re doing (and a body that won’t object) but splashing in puddles can be fun whatever your age, as long as your shoes don’t let the water in.
2. Take photos of raindrops on plants. They add extra magic (and the occasional poignant droopiness)  to flower photos.
3. Give your houseplants a treat. Take them outside and let them soak up the rainwater: good for your water bills and refreshing for the plants. Better yet, set up a water butt so you can use rainwater for your plants all the time. Even leaving a bucket outdoors can help. You can also use rainwater as a refreshing face splash, rather than wasting money on expensive water sprays or toners.
4. Watch the ripples on the water, if you’re lucky enough to live near any (if not, a puddle will do).  There’s something soothing about wrapping up in warm, waterproof clothes and seeing raindrops falling on the canal. It also shows how much power even a single raindrop has – you might be surprised by the size of the ripples created.
5. Go bug hunting. Snails and worms emerge with the rain, so you can often spot mini-beasts that hide away when it’s sunnier. See how many you can spot (if you’re a gardener, you may want to collect them and take them to a local wild green area  to protect your plants.) Rescue any worms you see stranded on the pavement to avoid them drying out once the rain stops.
6. Record the rain. This can be particularly useful if you struggle with insomnia: the sound of rain falling can be a soothing way to drift to sleep.
7. Monitor the rain: Make your own rain gauge by cutting a plastic drinks bottle in half, inverting the top half into the bottom half and putting markings on the side to measure how much rainfall there is. A layer of pebbles will help weigh it down – but remember to start the measurements after the layer of stones to make it more accurate. Record your findings and you can see how rainfall varies over the year.
8. Make rain art. Sprinkle powder paint over a sheet of paper then leave it in the rain to see what emerges; or paint something using water soluble paint then see how nature changes it. Don’t leave it outside for too long though, or your art may get washed away.
9. Look up. The clouds are often particularly impressive in the rain, particularly if the sun shines through them. You may even get lucky and spot a rainbow.
10. Get nature crafting. If you really can’t face the outdoors, use a rainy day for crafting using ‘found’ items from nature walks.  Just add hot chocolate for the perfect cosy afternoon in.