Last week was glorious, but looking outside over the past number of days, it's certainly been less so.
With summer holidays on the horizon, we've lately been considering the possibility that we'll need to entertain cabin-fever children when it's raining out (and no, sticking an iPad into their hands doesn't count).
Yes, if the dreaded ‘I’m bored, mum!’ ger uttered for the 11th time in a day (and when it's only 10.13am) - then here are some quick-fix solutions to entertain your brood in the rain...
1) Perform a dazzling puppet show
Nothing thrills kids more than an array of messy crafts. Euro shops are great places to pick up stocks of glitter tubes, buttons, googley eyes, pipe cleaners, felt and child-friendly glue. Grab some matchless socks from your basket and you’re on your way! Lay newspaper down onto your kitchen table before the kids start making their puppet creations. When they are finished allow the puppets to dry for about an hour and watch as they put on a Tony Award worthy performance.
2) Crack out the board games
Everyone loves healthy competition and board games are an old favourite to banish the boredom. Monopoly is fantastic fun and a great way to get your kids to improve their addition and subtraction skills during the summer holidays. Other games like Scrabble and Boggle are also great for learning purposes. The reliable jigsaw is the perfect remedy for a boring, rainy day. We love the One Direction Puzzle (€9.99) and the 3D Earth Puzzleball (€23.99) both of which are available in Symths this summer.
3) Bake something tasty
Warm brownies fresh from the oven are a wonderful treat on damp and dreary summer afternoons. Get your kids involved in the baking process and allow them to decorate their own treats for extra fun. It will be messy when they fight over who gets to lick the spoon!
4) Pen a story
Encourage your children to sit down and write a story or a poem. Write one yourself and when everyone is finished read the stories aloud. It is funny to listen to everyone’s creations and will keep your kids busy for at least a little while.
5) Visit a museum
Sometimes it is just nice to get out of the house for a little while and there are so many great museums around Ireland to visit with your children. Tara’s Palace Museum of Childhood in Enniskerry Co. Wicklow has a large display of antique dolls and dollhouses and a family ticket is only €12. The GAA Museum in Croke Park is a Gaelic Games fanatic’s dream! An adult ticket will set you back €12 and children can enter the museum for €8.
6) Just embrace the rain
Sometimes children will never be entertained! Wrap them up in rain jackets, hats and wellies and bang them off outside for a half an hour to splash around. It won’t kill them and you’ll be able to get a little bit of peace!
