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Rainy Day Fun

                                            

                                                   Rain is grace;

                                rain is the sky descending to the earth;

                                    without rain, there would be no life.

                                                  - John Updike

 

We wait so long for sunny skies and outdoor opportunities in Michigan's ever-changing weather, that a rainy day in the summer can be...a bummer. Allowing ourselves to reframe the day and observe what's available to us inside to enjoy can be good. The 62 Days Square "Rainy Day Fun" is here to help you with that.

Activities

Indoor cozy forts are where it's at. Grab your books, your pillows, a snack, and tuck yourself inside. Want to know the step-by-steps of a top notch fort? This link will help you.

 

Desserts: good! Easy desserts: even better! "No-bake" desserts keep your oven cool and your tummy happy. Here are 20 no-bake desserts to try.

 

Live animal cams are one of the best ways to get a peep on wild creatures. Use the day inside to check out the live web cams at the San Diego Zoo, the Smithsonian's National Zoo, and at the Monterey Bay Aquarium.

 

Balloon badminton might not yet be recognized by the International Olympic Committee, but it can be played in your family room or basement. If you don't have fly swatters, badminton "paddles" can be made using paper plates and something (tongue depressors, popsicle sticks, wooden spoons) as the handle.

 

Home overfloweth with LEGO? Breathe new life into the pieces with challenge cards or a monthly challenge calendar sheet. Imaginations will start working, STEAM learning will be incorporated, and hands will be kept busy while it rains outside.

Books

Meditation by Domyo Sater Burk

While meditation is viewed in many ways, it's essentially the slowing down of your thoughts in order to achieve awareness. Most meditation practitioners use it as a means of focusing their thoughts and relaxing in their space and mind. Many use it as a daily form of prayer. Meditation can help focus your thinking, lower your stress levels, lower risks for medical issues (such as high blood pressure, glucose levels, and heart disease) and is considered to be preventative medicine. It promotes mind-body balance and fitness, mindfulness, and creativity. 

If anyone knows how to balance a baking obsession with a demanding schedule, it's Michelle Lopez. Over the past several years that she's been running her blog Hummingbird High, Lopez has kept a crucial aspect of her life hidden from her readers: she has a full-time, extremely demanding job in the tech world. But she's figured out how to have her cake and eat it too.

In Weeknight Baking, Lopez shares recipes for drool-worthy confections, along with charming stories and time-saving tips and tricks. From everyday favorites like "Almost No Mess Shortbread" and "Better-Than-Supernatural Fudge Brownies" to showstoppers like "a Modern Red Velvet Cake" and "Peanut Butter Pretzel Pie" (it's vegan!), she reveals the secrets to baking on a schedule.

With rigorously tested recipes, productivity hacks, and gorgeous photographs, this book is destined to become a busy baker's go-to. Finally, dessert can be a part of every everyday meal!

With over 150 easy-to-follow drawings, this visual reference book offers instructions for drawing animals, people, plants, food, everyday objects, buildings, vehicles, clothing, and more. In Lambry's stylistically vintage form, drawing is easy and the outcome is timeless. From apples to airplanes and zebras to zoo animals, the book makes it easy to draw just about anything! Lambry breaks down the process of drawing into a series of simple shapes and lines, enabling you to recreate even the most complex things in just a few steps.

On a magical do-nothing day by illustrator Béatrice Alemagna

Give the gift of a magical do-nothing day! This picture book is an excellent choice to share during homeschooling because it speaks to boredom from being stuck inside and staring at your computer, phone, or video game. There's so much to notice in the world, if we can un-plug long enough.

This picture book with startlingly beautiful words and pictures will spur imagination and a break from boredom or screen time.

Now a New York Times Best Illustrated Book of the Year and Bank Street College of Education Best Children's Book of the Year!

All I want to do on a rainy day like today is play my game. My mom says it's a waste of time, but without my game, nothing is fun! On the other hand, maybe I'm wrong about that...

While reading On a Magical Do-Nothing Day, one gets the sense that the illustrator became lost in her drawings, and as a reader, you'll want to do the same. Perfect for fans of picture books by Julie Morstad, Carson Ellis, Jon Klassen, and Tomi Ungerer.

"Hands down, Beatrice Alemagna is my favorite contemporary illustrator," said the Caldecott Honor-winning illustrator of Last Stop on Market Street, Christian Robinson.

On a Magical Do-Nothing Day has been recognized with a Gold Medal from the Society of Illustrators. Don't miss this picture book that beautifully encourages unplugged exploration.

50 fun craft projects to make and do by 1956- Carolyn Franklin

From a tiger mask to a dinosaur model, from a toy soldier to a jet plane, every one of these fabulously creative projects is made out of ordinary, easy-to-find materials like clay, paper plates and bags, and pebbles. Detailed step-by-step instructions, along with colorful illustrations and photographs, introduce basic techniques that will help children develop their artistic skills. 

365 more simple science experiments with everyday materials by E. Richard (Elmer Richard) Churchill

This companion to the popular 365 Simple Science Experiments fills a whole new year with fun, easy and educational hands-on experiments. Kids will learn basic scientific concepts, covering everything from nature, physics, time, chemistry and space. The fundamentals of science are brought to life in an informative and colorful text that children ages seven and up can easily follow by themselves. Simple, clear and safe instructions explain the experiments all of which use everyday materials found in most homes. Projects range from mastering helicopter flight with a pencil and piece of cardboard to building bird-nests, preserving spider webs and constructing a "cigar box" guitar (to understand sound waves). More than 700 lively illustrations give visual aids to help set up the experiments.

Library Resources

With your Canton Library card number, check out Mango Languages! With easy and fun exercises available, you can use the rainy day to learn and practice over 70 languages.

 

Take a trip through time with the Life Magazine Photo Archive. Choose an era and look through millions of archived photos capturing what life looked like then. Or choose a person, sport, or place to see the images available. 

 

 

Head back to 62 Days of Summer for more ways to participate in the summer program!