Drains!

One of my children (who shall remain nameless) is very resistant to going outside.  Once he gets out there, he usually has a decent time, but he would MUCH rather stay inside with his books and puzzles, especially when it is cold out.

A few weeks ago, however, I hit on an idea that had him racing to get his boots on so we could go outside.  We went on a drain hunt.  We walked up and down the street looking for street drains.  On this day, snow was piled in the gutters, melting and running to the drains.  The kids had a total blast watching leaves travel down the gutters to the drain, damming and un-damming the gutters with wet leaves, throwing chunks of snow into the drain.  It was a lot of fun.  I told them a story about my sister, Hannah, getting her shoe stuck in a drain once.  They loved the story and have retold it about 15 times (it gets more serious each time!)

Since then, we have gone on to find several more drains in our neighborhood (THREE at the park across the street), and the holy grail of drain enthusiasts...a three feet wide, trapezoidal drain that you can see into (you can even see the round concrete sewer junction inside).  They have been noticing them when we are driving in the car as well.

If you are looking for a good Spring activity to get outside, try searching out a drain or two on a wet day and see where it takes you!