7 fun rainy day activities in your local area and at home

Originally published 22 January 2020.

Check out these 7 easy ideas for rainy day activities you can do in your local area, whether at home or with your unit.

We’ve linked each activity with guiding interest badges and activities to show how wet weather doesn’t have to stand in the way of guiding fun!

1. Play a classic board game – or make your own

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• Laughter – get the group to think of the silliest board game ideas they can and get everyone giggling.
• Toys – girls become toy designers and dream up their ideal games.

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• Games master – enjoy games old and new, and have girls test out their own game idea with friends.
• Skills for my future: change the rules - switch up the rules of an old game to come up with something completely different.

Guides

• Conscious consumer – girls can find second-hand games sustainably by exploring local charity shops, or making games using materials you already have lying around: bottle caps, cardboard, paint, newspapers…
• Skills for my future: build a board - combine creative skills with practical DIY to design unique board games.

 Rangers

• My say – board games can be a great way to get a discussion going. Girls can create a game based around the things they want to shout about.

2. Build an indoor fort

An oldie, but a goodie. All you need is a few sheets, some cushions and some chairs and you can build a fun fort that can keep kids occupied for hours. Or you can take it further and get really inventive with your building materials.

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• Construction – when girls complete this badge, they'll hunt for the right kinds of materials, learn about the best shapes for building and construct a strong fort.
• Have adventures: tent-tastic - build the best tent you can, using whatever materials you can find.

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• Crafts – explore different materials and see what’s best for making and decorating a fort.
• Have adventures: tent detective – a classic tent can also become a cozy indoor fort. Girls can practise putting up their tents before heading out on their next camping trip.

Guides

• Have adventures: all pitch in – this activity gets girls to think about what jobs they need to do when camping in the outdoors, then they can act them out and practise teamwork using their indoor fort as a stand-in for a tent.

Rangers

• Calm spaces – a calm, cozy indoor fort can be a great place to find some inner calm.
• Have adventures: chief camper – girls can hone their camping skills by camping in different places and in different ways, including indoors if it’s a rainy day.

3. Have a cinema day without going outside

Create a home cinema experience by making some popcorn and turning out the lights. You can even create tickets for the show and watch movie trailers on YouTube before for an extra authentic experience!

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• My thoughts – after watching a movie, get girls to share their thoughts about the themes, plot points and characters.
• Sleepovers – watching a movie together is the perfect way to make an overnight sleepover adventure even more fun, and it’s extra cozy on a rainy night.

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• Performing – girls can have fun discussing the characters, acting and storytelling in the movie, and then re-creating scenes themselves.

Guides

• Media critic – girls learn how to cast a critical eye over the media they watch and think more deeply about the messages movies are giving us.
• Entertainer – girls dive into the world of acting with this badge, learning how actors express emotion then bringing stories to life themselves.

Rangers

• Nostalgia – watching a favourite old movie is one of the best ways indulge in some nostalgic feelings.
• Fandoms – with this badge, girls who have a passion for a particular movie or series can share their interest and connect with fellow fans.

4. Learn to code

It doesn’t need to be daunting or cost money to learn to code. Code Monster is a great free online tool to help kids learn to code – and even adults could learn a thing or two as well! 

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• Drawing – younger girls can start by drawing out their ideas for simple apps, then start to build them using free online coding tools.

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• Inventing – encourages girls to dream up, design and prototype their own inventions to make life easier.
• Jobs – this badge gets girls to think about their future ambitions. Could they consider a career in STEM (science, technology, engineering and maths)?

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• Aspirations – this badge gets girls to aim high and think about how they can achieve their dreams.

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• Digital design – girls take on the role of a developer and come up with new website, app or game ideas.
• Skills for my future: plan it – older girls can put together their own workshop to teach others about coding and technology.

5. Do some science experiments

There are plenty of ways to dip into the world of science at home or in your unit meeting. Try some cheap and easy home science experiments, or get stuck into these interest badges and programme activities.

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• Express myself: exciting experiments – girls can find science everywhere, even in everyday items at home.

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• Kitchen creations – getting creative in the kitchen is a great way to learn about science and how ingredients react with each other. 

Guides

• Natural remedies – girls learn how to create their own skincare and health products from natural ingredients they can easily find at home.
• Know myself: DNA-mazing! – in this activity girls will dive into the world of genetics and set up their own research lab.

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• Express myself: psychological science – girls will run their own experiment and explore the science behind the human mind.

6. Take a rainy wildlife-spotting walk

• Snails and slugs come out in the rain and can be spotted on paths, walls, garden edges, and woodland floors.
• Frogs and toads love damp conditions and often move between ponds during rain.
• Water birds like ducks, swans, geese, moorhens and coots don’t mind the rain at all, and it’s fun to watch them paddle and dive.
• Earthworms wriggle up to the surface on rainy days.
• Garden birds like blackbirds, robins and woodpigeons usually continue feeding in light rain, attracted by the earthworms.
• Many insects are active on rainy days, especially around ponds and puddles. Try to spot pond skaters, water beetles and mayflies.

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• Nature – this interest badge shows girls that nature and wildlife is everywhere, just waiting to be discovered.
• Animal lover – girls can learn about the different creatures all around us and how to care for them.

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• Animal helper – girls will learn about animals native to the UK and ways to protect them and their habitats.
• Birdwatching  - it’s fun to spot and identify all the different birds who come out on a rainy day.

Guides

• Entomology – this interest badge gets girls to complete fun outdoor challenges and learn about fascinating insects.
• Biodiversity – there’s a huge variety of animal and plant life all around your local area, and this badge gets girls to notice and survey the nature around them.

Rangers

• Wildlife – budding nature documentarians can discover the wildlife in their local area.
• Wanderer – a rainy walk can be a wonderful way to stay grounded and present in the moment, while noticing the plants and creatures all around us.

7. Visit local museums and galleries

Visiting a museum or art gallery is a great way to spend a rainy day, and there are plenty of free ones all across the country.

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• Drawing – girls can take their sketchbooks and make drawings inspired by the art they see.

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• Imagination – looking at art in a museum or gallery can inspire us on our own flights of imagination. What will your group come up with?
• Painting – girls can choose their favourite paintings from the gallery and make their own masterpieces in a similar style.

Guides

• Historian – museums help us to learn all about local and world history, and in this badge girls will look into the past to document their own history.
• Artist – from paints to pencil to collage, there are many ways to create art. Girls can identify different art techniques in the museum or gallery and give them a try at home.

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• Interests – there are so many different museums to visit that reflect different interests, or try visiting a more unusual or niche museum – girls may be inspired to try something new.
• Women’s rights – girls can find an art piece or museum exhibit about the history of women’s rights or current issues affecting women in the world today, then come up with their own modern manifesto.