10 rainy day art and science activities for kids to try
Easy projects the whole family can take on
This is a non-Newtonian fluid, meaning that it shows characteristics of both liquids and solids. You can easily make your own by simply mixing one part water to three parts cornflour, adding food colouring for optional extra pzazz. Mix in a large container and watch kids of all ages discover the joy of running their fingers through it like a liquid, then slapping it hard and meeting resistance.
Pro tips from Gillian: Oobleck dries out quickly and leaves you with powder residue, so no panic if you get dribbles on the floor. If you opt to add colour, add it to the water first to avoid stained fingers.
Grab that food colouring again, along with some vegetable oil, a clear container (jar or plastic bottle), and an antacid tablet. Fill the container most of the way (about ¾) with oil, and top it off with water. Add a few drops of food colouring. Then break the antacid and drop it into the mixture in pieces. The tablet will fall through the oil on top and into the water below, which has been dyed with the food colouring. As the tablet starts to dissolve, it releases gases that bubble out through the water and into the oil, bringing some of the colour with it. Beautiful magic!
Want to avoid the mess? Try inflating balloons using gas produced by mixing vinegar and baking soda. These two ingredients form an acid-base reaction when combined, creating carbon dioxide gas that can be harnessed to inflate a balloon. Grab a small empty water bottle and pour in half a cup of distilled vinegar. Use a funnel to carefully pour baking soda into the balloon until it’s about a quarter full. Put the neck of the balloon over the top of the bottle and empty the baking soda into it — and stand back and be amazed!
To make it a little more experimental, investigate how different quantities of ingredients or different sizes of bottles affect the inflation of the balloon.
Gather together cardboard tubes, old magazines, yoghurt pot lids, old gift-wrap or tissue paper and any crafty odds and ends you have at home and let the kids have a creative free-for-all. Who knows what they’ll come up with — perhaps a quirky robot, a magical sea-creature, or a colourful sun-catcher?
If you’re stuck at home ahead of a camping trip, make a cute tent craft by gluing three lollipop sticks in a triangle shape, attaching coloured card or paper to the rear, and adding some details, such as a little doorway or a tiny campfire made from tissue paper.
When it’s too miserable to go out, why not take a virtual tour of Ireland with a booklet full of wonder and art activities — and practice your Irish while you’re at it? Illustrated by Tarsila Kruse, Turas Tíre sa Teach introduces five beautiful spots around Ireland, including The Giant’s Causeway and The Aran Islands. The printable booklet offers fun ‘as gaeilge’ for all ages, including colouring, creative writing, word games and more.
Use the power of the sun (when it comes back out) to make some tasty summer snacks with your very own solar oven.
You’ll need:
- a cardboard box (old tea bag box or pizza box)
- glue stick
- scissors
- a ruler
- tinfoil
- sticky tape
- clingfilm
- black paper
- a newspaper
Draw a square on the lid of the box and cut three of the sides of the square to create a flap.
Cover the inside of the flap with tin foil and stick it with tape. Stick some black paper to the bottom of the inside of the box, and then place clingfilm over the square hole in the lid to keep any dirt out. When the sun comes out and you’re ready for a snack, open the flap on the top of the box and hold it in place with a ruler or stick. Put your snack in the centre of the box and bring it outside to a sunny spot. Then adjust the flap to get as much sunlight as possible into the box.
The sun is the primary source of all energy on Earth. Solar power is generated directly from sunlight and can be used for heat energy or converted into electric energy – fully renewable! Solar ovens work by trapping heat energy from the sun. The tinfoil directs the sunlight into the box, and the black paper absorbs the heat and heats up easily. As a result, the air inside the oven heats up, helping to create those yummy snacks. Try melting some chocolate, or marshmallows and biscuits for s’mores.
Overgrown areas are rich in biodiversity and great for pollinators such as bees. You can support biodiversity in our ecosystem by planting some wildflowers. Either plant your seeds in a pot or directly into the soil — whichever you have space for. Just clear away any stones, weeds or grass from your soil and rake it. Get a box or packet of seeds, give it a good shake to mix up the varieties, and scatter them evenly over the soil. If you keep the packet, you’ll be able to identify the flowers later. Water the ground straight after sowing, and then water daily. Finally, enjoy identifying the wildflowers that appear.
Patience is key here, so keep an eye on your plants, and enjoy bee-watching once they bloom.
Tie-dye T-shirts are back in fashion and make the perfect activity for slightly older kids. All you need is an old plain white top, a packet of dye, hot tap water, salt and some string and stones or marbles.
Follow the instructions on the dye packet and add eight-10 tbsp of salt into the water. For a marbling effect, simply scrunch up the T-shirt into a ball and tie string tightly around it. If you have stones or marbles, tie them into different parts of your top. Then put your tee into the dye and follow the instructions. Rinse it and hang it out to dry, and then remove the string and marbles. You can be as inventive as you want and get a perfectly unique T-shirt for when we’re ready to hit the gigs again!
Making your own kite can be really easy. Just grab a black sack, cut it open and draw and cut out a diamond shape. Use garden or bamboo sticks to create a cross and secure it to your kite with insulation tape. Secure a long piece of string to your kite and cut out strips from another plastic bag — perhaps one with different colours, if you can find one — and tie them onto the string. You can cut out additional shapes to decorate your kite with, if you like. Et voilà!
