I know, I know.  It doesn't hail often.  But I hope the next time it does, you see not only a freak weather event, but also an opportunity to paint!  :)  This happened around a year ago.  It was hailing - and I saw my chance!  I ran around outside like a crazy person with some Gladware containers filling them like mad.  I popped them all in the freezer (thank goodness my husband is used to finding all sorts of weird things in our refrigerator) and we used them up over a day or two.  Sweet little S is three in these photos.

She kept marveling at how cold the hail was!

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 I like to guard against accidental paint spillage whenever possible.  Sometimes we paint out of a Dollar Tree muffin tin or an ice tray, but it's a little hard to see the colors of the liquid watercolors in there.  So for this activity I put them all in plastic cups and set those inside a larger (aka less tip-able) container.  S used a pipet to pick and choose her colors.  Working with pipets is great fine motor practice!

The colors were just so beautiful, and it was neat to watch them mix and make their way through the little tunnels in between the bits of hail.

S really enjoyed using the hail as a canvas to make an entire painting.

Here's another one she was working on.

Oh, and in case you were curious what little X used to do during these times (he isn't very into touching cold things - so he declined to do more than poke once or twice at the hail) - he LOVED being able to play with S's feet.  I have lots of photos of this because S and I found it endlessly hilarious.

Here's one of her finished masterpieces.  They don't last forever, but are a gorgeous work of art nonetheless.

If you'd rather not wait for hail, or if it never hails where you live, you could certainly approximate this activity by substituting crushed ice!  You can also substitute food coloring diluted in water for liquid watercolors.  :)

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All activities here are activities I feel are safe for my own children.  As your child's parents/guardians, you will need to decide what you feel is safe for your family.  I always encourage contacting your child's pediatrician for guidance if you are not sure about the safety/age appropriateness of an activity. All activities on this blog are intended to be performed with adult supervision.  Appropriate and reasonable caution should be used when activities call for the use of materials that could potentially be harmful, such as scissors, or items that could present a choking risk (small items), or a drowning risk (water activities), and with introducing a new food/ingredient to a child (allergies).  Observe caution and safety at all times.  The author and blog disclaim liability for any damage, mishap, or injury that may occur from engaging in any of these activities on this blog.