Origami And Folded Paper | Origami And Folded Paper Guide

Pulling out a box of treasures is a fantastic way to transform bad weather days into creative time--without turning on the TV.

Mixing ready-made ideas with miscellaneous craft items creates instant fun. Holidays are great inspiration for creative ideas. From hand tracing turkeys to goggly eyed leprechauns, construction paper flowers to cotton ball snowmen, kids will love to decorate the house with their results. Peruse the magazine rack for kid oriented craft ideas or purchase a magazine for each season and store it in the box.

Keep it fresh by adding new items occasionally so that each rainy day will have surprises. When shopping, check out discount, dollar, and book stores for bargains. Think of a range of items, from Origami books for older kids to new coloring books for little ones. Expand with stacks of construction paper, crayons, markers, and fun scissors. Who doesn't love scissors that cut designs? Throw in packets of googly eyes, popsicle sticks, pipe cleaners, glue, and yarn. A package of new socks becomes a cast of characters when kids create puppets by cutting out and gluing on (or sewing, depending on their age) fabric felt features. Older kids can write a script that little ones perform. None of these things are expensive, especially if you get a few items at a time. And the list is limited only by your imagination.

Store your items in a plastic bin. Keep it organized with resealable bags and plastic containers. Make it mysterious by having a secret location. It's not as much fun to have a rainy day box if the things in it can be played with at any time. Half the fun is finding what new things are discovered inside.

A rainy day box converts the forecast of bad weather boredom into sunny dispositions.