Make rain hats with young children. You will need plastic gallon milk jugs, scissors, stickers and markers. After an adult removes the spout and handle, the child can decorate his new rain hat. Use permanent markers if the child is responsible enough. If not, stickers can be used to create a custom hat. Choose stickers of a favorite character or use plain labels, stars or colored round stickers to create a pattern. Use scissors to make holes for a ribbon tie, if desired. Poke a hole on either side of the front of the hat and then thread a piece of ribbon through.
Instruct the child to draw a house in the center of her page. Discuss what happens during a thunderstorm. Have the child draw rain drops and dark clouds around her house. Show her how to make bright lightening bolts with a yellow or white crayon. Make a border for her stormy scene with a second sheet of paper. Ask her to create a pattern alternating rain drops, clouds and lightening bots around the edge of the paper. Have the child cut out the first picture and glue in the center of the second page, creating a custom mat for her picture.
Paint clouds across a blue sheet of paper. Pour 2 tablespoons of liquid starch into a bowl. Add a teaspoon of dish soap. Beat well with an egg beater until the mixture is thick. It should be the consistency of frosting. Fold a few drops of white tempera paint into the soap suds. Use this mixture to finger-paint clouds onto the blue paper. Once the paint dries, the child can add people, trees, flowers or other elements to their scene.