Rainy Days and Tuesday

Two things that are equally true:

My husband hates to take the recycling down to the street when it’s raining.
Wet cardboard can’t be recycled. (It gums up the works.)

We all know that April showers bring May flowers, but what do May showers bring? A lowered chance of wildfires, I suppose, a temporary decrease in pollen levels, and a chance to push back at the current drought situation. All good, I suppose - - unless you had been hoping to spend time outside.

However, look at the bright side: my husband will be thrilled not to take all of our accumulated cardboard down to the curb this morning.

But here’s a bonus question: let’s say you have some cardboard that got wet before it even made it to recycling day. Is it now rendered unrecyclable forever or can it be thoroughly dried out and then it’s good to go?

I need to know, folks. These things bother me.

*****

Last summer I put out a request for the best things local things to do/places to go when it rains. Alas, this was not a topic that sparked any meaningful discussion. As it’s a weekday, most adults will be at work and kids with be at school. So most of us don’t need to be making alternative plans.

But what if you have preschoolers?

You won’t be surprised that my first recommendation will always be a visit to your local library. They have areas designed with kids in mind and programs tailored to their needs. And it is FREE. Still, there are days when the littles need to move and make some noise.

Parents of young children undoubtedly know every single playground and every commercial indoor play place in the country and possibly beyond. Still, here’s a relatively new one: Play Place Museum on Stanford Boulevard. Have you been there?

Play Place Museum is a part of a chain with locations in Texas, Arkansas, California, Colorado, Florida, Georgia, Illinois, Maryland, Missouri, New Jersey, New York, Oregon, Virginia, and Washington. (Wow.) Admission is $17.50 per child. They offer a prepared enironment of themed interactive play areas for self -directed play. They also have add-on craft experiences.

Yes, you need to sign a waiver as part of registration, just like Jump Zone. Yes, they also do birthday parties.

It strikes me that this place might be a quieter alternative to places like Hyper Kidz but, on a rainy day, all bets are off. DoodleHATCH would be a great (and more cost-effective) alternative but they’re only open on Fridays, Saturdays, and Sundays.

There’s an indoor play area at the Mall in Columbia (free) and a Children’s Playseum (not free.)

Honestly, one of the most fun things you can do indoors on a rainy day involves having a lot of cardboard boxes on hand and a willingness to let your kids exercise their imaginations to their hearts’ content. If you decide to go that route, let me know.

I’ve got boxes.

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