Beans, I say.

It hasn't been rainy here lately but it looks like it's on the way. I found this great activity over at Uniquely Placed and just had to create my own.

It's very simple. Just locate or purchase a box (with a lid is even better). Purchase several pounds of dried beans. (I used pinto but would probably use whatever is cheapest at the time.) Dump the beans into the box, add some sandbox toys, and treasures to unearth. Hand it over to the kids and watch them spend hours or at least tens of minutes playing in their new indoor sandbox.

Two things to watch out for:

• The beans do still spill out but are easier to clean-up than sand. You might consider laying a blanket down underneath for even easier clean-up.
• Children do have a history of sticking small things in small holes. So supervise close enough that beans do not end up in anyone's nose, ears, or wherever else they might stick them.

For grown-up bean fun, I highly recommend the card game Bohnanza. It's one of the few games I will play with my board game obsessed husband.