Indoor fun in the East Bay: 8 things to do on rainy days

Wow, can the time pass slowly inside the house on a rainy day! Here are 10 things for East Bay parents to consider for entertainment:

Tinkering project
Consult a kids' science or cooking book for ideas and then make a list of supplies. Try Dad's Book of Awesome Science Experiments or Bean Appetit for inspiration. To get out of the house for a change of scenery, head to one of your large local grocery stores to gather supplies. No patience for mess in your own house? Go to Sticky Art Lab on University Ave. and use their stuff!

Go to the movies
With onsite cafes, The New Parkway in Oakland and The Cerrito Speakeasy in El Cerrito both make it possible to feed your kids dinner and watch a movie at the same time.

Tumbling
Check our calendar to see if any of the local open gym hours are happening (Cal Golden Bears in Berkeley; Head Over Heels in Emeryville; Ruby's Tumbling in Alameda all offer them) and if not, consider making the drive to Sky High Sports in Concord or Rockin Jump in Fremont or Dublin for some bouncing time. Even Pump It Up in Oakland offers Pop In Playtime where you pay by the hour.

Toddling around
Need something to do before naptime? Habitot is open until 12:30 every day for little ones, and so is Rain or Shine in Berkeley. Kids Gym in Berkeley is ideal for preschoolers who need an outing after naptime as they are open until 7 pm!

Step away from the screen
Big kids can get their video game fix at Playland Not-At-The-Beach in El Cerrito with old school pinball and carnival games. Open weekends only. In Alameda, the Pacific Pinball Museum offers a similar experience.

Indoor sports
Batting cages await you in Richmond (The Wheelhouse). Set the pitch as slow as 25 MPH so that everyone can get in on the fun. Albany Bowl and Alameda Bowl are fun for multi-generational crowds. Try something new at Fat Shafts Archery in Benecia.

Miniature golf
SubPar is an entirely indoor mini-golf course in Alameda.

Learn something
The science museums, Chabot in Oakland and Lawrence Hall of Science in Berkeley are super kid-friendly, as is Sulphur Creek Nature Center in Hayward ($2 for a toddler class!). Berkeley Art Museum (BAM) and Oakland Museum of California are beautiful spaces to explore together and offer hands-on areas for little ones to feel engaged.

What are your go-to activities for rainy days?

[Photo by Anna Azimi at Head over Heels]