I have lived in one of the most rainy parts of the country. The Seattle area gets about 364 days of rain a year. OK, well maybe it isn't that many days but sometimes it seems like it. In most of the United States these winter months are not the most pleasant. Our kids get tired of being cooped up in the house watching the same movies and playing the same games.

Here are 5 quick and inexpensive crafts for you to do with your kids on those days that going to the park to play just isn't an option.

1. Sponge Painting

What you need:

- Many sheets of white drawing paper

- A couple packages of cheap sponges cut into shapes

- A package of Crayola finger paints

- Newspaper to cover the table and the floor in craft area

Let the kids go wild!! What child does not like to paint? You can cut the sponges into themes, like animals, and create some zoo pictures. The finger paints clean up in a snap…off the kids and the craft area J

2. Popsicle Picture Frames

What you need:

- 4 popsicle sticks per child

- Glue gun

- Foam shapes

- Roll of tape

Take the 4 popsicle sticks and glue them together to make a square. If you have a 4 x 6 picture handy use that to make the square the appropriate size for a cropped picture.

Then have the children pick out a whole bunch of foam pieces that they would like to use on their frame. If you are doing seasonal frames like Christmas, make sure that you have a good variety of foam shapes (holly, snowmen, Santa, trees etc.)

With the glue gun you will glue all the pieces onto the frame making sure that you can not see the popsicle sticks. Then let it dry overnight.

Finally you will tape the top of the bottom of the picture and place it in the frame. This will allow the picture to be changed if you want. If you want to keep the same picture in the frame you can glue it in for a better hold.

This is a great (and cheap) craft to give as gifts to family members (glue the picture in J) and teachers (taped in will do J)

3. How Big am I?

What you will need:

- 1 long sheet of white paper or recycled newsprint per child

- As many colored markers or crayons as you can find

- Glue

- Scissors

- Colored construction paper

- Ribbons, buttons, sparkles and other decorative items

Have each child lay down and you can trace out their whole body. Cut out the picture and get ready to decorate!!

Using the construction paper the children can make clothes and using the ribbons and buttons etc they can decorate their clothes. Very thin wire works great for glasses.

Have the kids make it look as much like them as they can. You will be surprised by how they think they look J Hang them up on the back of their door. Pull them out in a few months and see how much your child has grown.

4. Christmas Paper Bag Wreaths

What you will need:

- I paper bag for each child

- Holly leaves and berries cut from construction paper

- Real pine cones

- Glue gun

- Stapler

- Christmas colored yarn

- Scissors

You will first twist the paper bag up (like you are wringing out a towel) and staple the 2 ends together. Help the children to glue on to the wreath the holly leaves and berries and the acorns on to the paper bag.

Let the wreath dry for awhile and the tie string around the wreath to make a loop so that the wreath can hang in your house or on your front door.

5. Mason Jar Stuff Holders

What you will need:

- 1 - 1 quart Mason Jar for each child

- Glue divided out in small throw away containers

- Tissue paper in multiple colors

- Paint brush

- Scrapbooking punches of various shapes

- Sparkles, ribbon or other decorative touches

Ahead of time you will want to punch a WHOLE BUNCH of tissue paper into the various shapes that you want to use. You could go with a theme like fall and use leaves or just use circles or squares.

Get the kids to "paint" glue onto one side of the jar and place the tissue paper shapes on as they go. Do the same thing on all sides and the bottom and mouth and the neck of the jar. If you want to use the lid on the jar then do not put the tissue paper on the mouth and neck of the jar.

Make sure that all of the jar is covered and you can not see the glass. Then "paint" over all the tissue paper again with the glue.

Quickly put on the jar any other embellishments and then let dry overnight. In the morning your child will have a one of a kind "stuff" holder!!

I hope that you enjoy working on these crafts with your children. While a pretty end result is nice, it is the time that you spend doing the craft with you children that will always be remembered and cherished. It will be crafts like these that you will put away in a memory box and keep forever. Every time you look at that craft you will remember the precious time that you spent with your child.

So, while rainy day crafts keep moms sane…the memories will linger long after our children have grown up and moved away. Maybe these rainy day crafts will be ones that we do with our grandbabies too.