At first, it's fun to pull out the rain boots and umbrellas. For toddlers, the change in weather can be very exciting. By day two, the novelty wears a bit thin and the inside of the house seems to be shrinking by the hour. On day three, the children are restless and want to see the sun again. The weekend weather report predicts more rain. What is a parent to do?

For parents of young toddlers, these rainy, stormy, winter weather days can be especially challenging. In a child's mind, the weather presents no limitations. Rain, sleet or snow -- these little bodies are up and ready to go.

Elizabeth Pantley, an iParenting expert panelist and author of Perfect Parenting, The Dictionary of 1,000 Parenting Tips, says, "Look at the bright side. There is beauty in being trapped in the house with no escape. Honest! This can be a wonderful time to strengthen your family relationships. In other words, make lemonade out of lemons!"

Typically, toddlers are not old enough to understand how to use their own creative energy without some help. Pantley has some wonderful ideas when boredom is lurking, the kids are antsy and the bickering has begun:

Have a dance contest.

Move the furniture aside, turn up the music and dance 'til you drop. Give awards, dress up and make a stage if you are feeling creative.

Enjoy an indoor picnic.

Pack a lunch and spread a blanket in a rarely used corner in the house. The more unusual the location, the more fun the picnic.

Let the kids build a mega-fort.

using tables, chairs and blankets. Keep the fort up for days and let them play in it, eat in it and sleep in it too!

Have an "Easter Egg" style hunt.

Hide small toys all through the house and let the kids hunt for them. Be prepared to re-hide them many times, as kids really enjoy the hunting process.

Have a game-a-thon.

Bring out the board games. Order pizza for dinner and relax. You might even pull out the sleeping bags and have a camp-out in the family room.

Collages

Collages are simple and can be made with old magazines, newspapers, or photos. A toddler can easily handle a glue stick to paste the picture on a piece of construction paper.

Make snowflakes.

Have your child color a piece of construction paper. Help him fold the paper into smaller and smaller squares, then cut out pieces at your toddler's direction. Let the child open the paper to its original size -- and the magic appears.

Additional ideas that can work for the toddler set include:

Write and color stories by folding paper into a "mini-book." Ask your child to tell you a story. Write the words, whether they make sense or not. Write "The End" on the story and it's a book. Let them color away for the final touches. Children usually take great pride in the finished product.

While these activities can brighten even the soggiest of days, it is important to know that weather can have real affects on behavior and moods. For some people, mostly adults, behavior changes during winter weather can be more complex than brushing it off as going stir crazy. Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD) is a clinical diagnosis that can vary in severity from mild "winter blahs," to moderate "winter doldrums," to severe winter depression.

According to the National Institute of Mental Health, SAD afflicts about five percent of adults in the United States -- some 10 million Americans -- but an estimated 25 percent of the population experiences some form of winter blues. The farther north you live, the greater your risk. For example, studies show that about one percent of the Florida population suffer from SAD. On the other hand, in New Hampshire, the figure is eleven percent. "If parents can keep in mind that the seasons have a profound affect upon both them and their children, they have much more information with which to make decisions and evaluate behavior," says author and parent education expert Vimala McClure.

"If parents can be aware there is a natural melancholic disposition that has a physiological cause in the absence of sunlight, they can adjust their behavior, perhaps providing activities for their children that are appropriate.

" The Waldorf educational system actually works this concept into their curriculum.

Sometimes teachers read a sad story to the children, or build a dark tent with quilts and card tables, on these stormy days. This is followed by an activity such as lighting a candle, to help children look forward to brighter days. They acknowledge that is okay to feel sad and melancholy sometimes, and that the light will always come again.

McClure created her own family tradition when her children were young. Every February, she would give them a basket lined with foil and filled with earth. The children would plant grass seeds and put the baskets near the windows. Everyday they could see the grass sprout and grow, and by the time Easter had arrived, the official beginning of Spring, the children had Easter baskets with real grass.

"I think it helps the children look forward to the light, and know that light follows darkness naturally, it always will, and both fallow and growing periods are part of the nature of being alive," McClure says. The snow will melt, the rain will stop and the sun will shine a little longer every day -- eventually.

Remember to look for the light, no matter how faint in might be. Look for it out your window, maybe a break in the storm clouds, and always as you take the time to make these wet and stormy days special for the young children in your life.