During wet weather, your child can stay dry and make a big splash with a hand-painted umbrella. All you'll need is a pencil or soft chalk; a solid-colour nylon umbrella; foam brushes, one narrow and one broad (sold at most hardware shops); and fabric paint (sold at most art supply shops).

First, have your child use the pencil or chalk to outline her design on the open umbrella. Then she can use a narrow foam brush to paint over the outline and a broad brush to fill in larger shapes. Once the paint dries thoroughly, the umbrella is ready for rain. Here are a few sample designs:

NIGHT SKY: Use a sponge cut-out or a rubber stamp to decorate a navy blue or black umbrella with yellow stars.

FULL BLOOM: Use a paintbrush to create a gardenful of colourful flowers or one giant sunflower.

AROUND THE WORLD: Paint the continents on a light blue umbrella.

THE SOLAR SYSTEM: Paint on a golden sun surrounded by all the planets in orbit.

Originally published in Family.com & FamilyFun Magazine.

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Inside fun for wet weather days

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Tinfoil Characters
Cardboard Car Raceway

Hand-Painted Umbrella