Running Through Raindrops

It's raining again here in Southeastern, Massachusetts. It's been raining off and on for most of the week and many parents have told me their kids are getting antsy. I, too, am often guilty of staying indoors when it's raining (My high school yearbook didn't say 'I love long walks in the rain!').

Yet, once summer rolls around, there's no reason to insist your kids stay inside. The air is warm so there's no danger of getting too cold. In fact, many kids love being given permission to run around getting wet and playing in mud puddles.

So if you live here in the northern hemisphere and it's warm and raining today, why not encourage your kids to go play in the rain?

Here are some tips:

1. Make them go barefoot so they don't ruin their good sneakers. Or have them wear old "play sneakers," crocs, flip flops or other sandals that can get wet.
2. Have them wear bathing suits or old clothes.
3. Have towels ready at the door so they won't track mud and water all over the house. Perhaps lay an old towel on the floor, as well.
4. Have warm clothes ready before they go out so they can warm up, if necessary, when they come in. I know my kids will swim or play in water until their lips turn blue and still insist "I'm not cold!"

What to do in the Rain

First and foremost, I encourage you to let your kids do what they want, as long as it's safe.  Don't try to direct them- just let them play. Free play is great for developing brains. (And even grown-up ones!)

BUT... some kids may come back after a couple of minutes saying they don't know what to do.

Some suggestions:

1. Make mud pies.
2. Take a "shower." Give them environmentally safe soap and let them wash up. I loved doing this as a kid.
3. City dwellers might especially like this- but is does require parent involvement for safety. See if they can follow the path of the raindrops once they hit the ground. In other words, which way does the water flow? Down the street? Through a park? Into a gutter? Stand in different areas and track the flow of water.
4. See how many animals you can find. Which ones are out and active (such as worms, salamanders, or frogs). What animals can you find hiding? (Perhaps insects under plants?)

Do you have other ideas for outdoor rain activities? Please suggest them in the comments.

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No Frog Eggs Found...Yet

Three days after our first wood frog adventure, my family visited a different vernal pool roughly 1/2 mile behind our house "as the crow flies." We were greeted with the same boistrous clucks and calls. Last Sunday, one week later, I returned to that same vernal pool. All was quiet. The only sound was the wind rustling sassafras leaves nearby. I looked for frog eggs (scientists call them frog spawn) but found none. The overcast light of the day reflected off the water creating a glare that obscured my view of the bottom. We need sunbeams to shine through the water and illuminate the eggs. It's been raining here in Southeastern Massachusetts for days, so we haven't returned, yet. This weekend is supposed to be warm and sunny, though, so we'll check back then and report our findings.


On Sunday, I did make this discovery, just a few feet from where I had sat the week before. I was so focused on the wood frogs that I had missed it. With the quiet of this past weekend, I took time to look around more.


Does anyone want to venture a guess regarding what this might be?

Here's a close-up :