Fun Things to Do on a Rainy Day

CEBU, Philippines - These entertaining indoor activities won't let dreary weather dampen anyone's spirits.

.Have an Indoor Treasure Hunt

Do you have children in the house? Keep their day lively with a treasure hunt. Make one set of clues for every player (try rhyming the clues for fun), each clue leading to the next one and, finally, to the treasure. Seal them in envelopes marked with a clue number (for example, 2/7 or "two of seven"); this will help the treasure hunters keep track. Whoever solves the clues first and finds the treasure - a small toy, an IOU for a movie, maybe a cache of coins (regular or chocolate) - is the winner. Or have your kids play as a team to solve the clues - and uncover the treasure together.

.Camp in the Great Indoors

Who says tents always have to stay outside? If you have a pop-up or small dome tent, it's easy to set up camp for your kids indoors. If not, you can create tents by draping sheets over the couch. Make them comfy with airbeds, pillows, and sleeping bags, then follow through with an indoor picnic to be eaten "under canvas."

. Invent a "No-Batteries-Required" Game

Anne Libera, artistic associate at the Second City Training Center, recommends the following play-anywhere, no-props-needed activities:

One-Word Story: Starting with "Once upon a time…" go around the room and have each person add a single word to the story. Tip: Decide on a genre in advance - fairy tale, ghost story etc. - and go from there.

Improvised Poetry: One person says a line of poetry, and the next must say a line that rhymes with it, and so on. Let kids say the first line; it's up to you to find the rhyme.

Yes, and… Monster! Invent an imaginary monster, with each person adding a new characteristic to the first person's monster description. Every new idea has to start with an enthusiastic, "Yes, and…" and build on what has already been described.

(Source: http://www.realsimple.com/) (FREEMAN)