5 Rainy Day Activities

Has bad weather forced you to cancel a play date? Try one of these Mac-based projects to provide a fun alternative to vegging in front of the TV.

1. Produce a Stop-Motion Movie. 

Use a digital camera to snap digital sots of your children acting out

their favorite story, load them onto your Mac, and into iPhoto, then

launch iMovie HD and start a new project.  Click photo, then uncheck

the Ken Burns Effect and slide the hare-and tortoise slider (clip

duration) all the way to the left so the duration reads 0:03.  Select

Last Roll from the pop-up menu above the photo above the photo browser

to display your images, press Command-a to select all, and then drag

your images into the timeline.  Click the Play button to see a rough

cut of your animation in action.  Upload to YouTube to share with

family and friends. 



2. Build Your Own Animal Menagerie. Have

fun and learn about animals at the same time.  Form Wild offers a

collection of printable graphics ($24 each or $100 for all 5 sets,

www.formwild.com) that lets you and your kids print and create

multidimensional animal figures.  Once they’re printed, cut out, and

pieced together, your kids can establish their own personal zoo. 



3. Make a Lasting Impression. In

iPhoto, you can create unforgettable gifts and keepsakes. Like a

hardcover photo book complete with customized dust jacket and foil

stamped cover. Or a full-bleed softcover photo book, wire-bound to lie

perfectly flat. 



For a step by step guide to creating an iPhoto Book click here.

 

4. Goof Of with Photo Booth. My

daughter and friends will actually sit and goof around with Photo Booth

for hours.  You’ll need a Mac with with an iSight camera or other

webcam-to amuse kids of all ages (including adults).  With Photo Booth

open and the camera on, just click the 1 or 2 button next to Effects ad

select the one you want before snapping a photo. 



5. Toy Around with Photoshop Filters. If

you’re like me you know that it’s quite easy to waste an hour here and

there applying crazy filters and effects to photos in Adobe Photoshop. 

Children are as easily entertained as we are.  Just show them where teh

Filter menu is in Photoshop, open a few images, and let them have at

it.  You’ll find free and commercial filter at

www.photoshop-filters.com.