This ‘Raining Cats & Dogs’ Idiom Parade costume idea is SO easy to throw together!
All it takes is a few basic supplies and your kiddo will rule the school and rock their parade!
Idiom Parade Costume Idea: Raining Cats & Dogs!
What Is An Idiom Parade?
An Idiom Parade is a celebration where costumes depicting a specific idiom are created and then paraded and shown off to a cheering crowd.
It is usually held at school during Read Across America Week.
It’s similar to a Vocabulary Parade, which is where a word is turned into a costume, but it’s taken a step further since idioms are the theme instead of a single word.
In case you need a refresher, Merriam-Webster defines “idiom” as:
an expression in the usage of a language that is peculiar to itself either in having a meaning that cannot be derived from the conjoined meanings of its elements (such as up in the air for “undecided”) or in its grammatically atypical use of words (such as give way).
Examples of Common Idioms
“It’s raining cats and dogs” (which is used to describe a heavy downpour) is a very well-known English idiom (and Rowan’s idiom of choice), and here are some other popular idioms you’ve probably heard:
- Snug as a bug in a rug
- Hold your horses
- Hit the sack
- Cold feet
- Hot head
- Break a leg
- Bite the bullet
- Cutting corners
- Time flies when you’re having fun
- Under the weather
- You can say that again
- Spill the beans
- Once in a blue moon
- Cry over spilt milk
- Back against the wall
Rowan’s Third Grade Idiom Parade
When my oldest son, Rowan, was in Kindergarten, we made him a DIY ‘Ambivalent’ costume for his first-ever Vocabulary Parade.
He’s also rocked a DIY Captain Underpants costume for his school’s Book Character Day.
Then in the spring of 2020, the world turned upside down and the parades were cancelled for the next two school years thanks to social distancing and virtual school.
Whomp, whomp.
Now he’s a big third grader and life is slowly returning to “normal” again, so the parade is back!
This year, his school had the Pre-K through second graders hold a Vocabulary Parade, while the third graders had an Idiom Parade.
Rowan is a HUGE animal lover, so he chose the classic idiom “It’s raining cats and dogs” for his costume, and here’s the SUPER simple outfit we put together for his very first Idiom Parade!
Raining Cats & Dogs Idiom Parade Costume Supplies
Here’s what we used to whip up this Raining Cats & Dogs Idiom Parade costume:
- Umbrella hat (oh so stylish, indeed)
- Blue poncho
- Printer & ink
- Photos of adorable cats and dogs
- Six sheets of cardstock
- One sheet of blue scrapbook paper
- Scissors
- Glue stick
- Hole punch
- Clear jewelry cord
Step 1: Print Pictures of Cats & Dogs
The first step in creating this Raining Cats & Dogs Idiom Parade costume was of course getting pictures of adorable felines and pooches.
Small stuffed animals would be difficult to round up quickly, heavy when hanging off of Rowan’s head, and probably not the cheapest, so printed pictures were the ticket!
For the cats, we used photos of our two kittens (Midnight and Boone), and one of the dog pics was of the grandparents’ dog, Scout.
The other doggie pictures were free high-res ones found online.
Since these would dangle down from the umbrella hat and around Rowan as he walked, I wanted them to be double-sided.
That way, no matter which way they spun, the cuteness would always be visible instead of there being a giant white blob on the backside of every one.
I fired up Photoshop and created a duplicate mirror image of all the animals, then printed them out on cardstock.
Step 2: Cut Out Pictures of Cats, Dogs, & Raindrops
Next up, I cut out all of the animals as well as some giant raindrops from a sheet of blue scrapbook paper.
Then, using a glue stick, the mirrored images (animals and raindrops) were glued together so both sides matched.
Step 3: Attach Animal Pics & Raindrops to the Umbrella
The final step in this DIY Idiom Parade costume was attaching the animal pics and raindrops to the umbrella hat.
After punching holes in the animals and raindrops, I used some clear jewelry cord and tied the individual pieces together into strands of three, then finally each strand onto the umbrella.
My WorkBox 3.0 craft cabinet came in extra handy for this step since I could have the umbrella hanging from the top as I worked.
This is definitely one of the strangest things I’ve ever made for my kids… ¯\_(ツ)_/¯
Rowan’s Final Raining Cats & Dogs Idiom Parade Costume!
After donning a blue poncho, Rowan’s Raining Cats & Dogs Idiom Parade costume was complete!
It turned out super cute and was SO easy to make.
For these pictures, he wore the poncho’s hood up, but during his parade, he chose to keep it down.
He made a mighty fine addition to his school’s Idiom Parade this year. :)
Double bonus: Rowan and his little brother now have some super stylish umbrella hats and a poncho to use while playing in the rain!
Ya gotta love a school project that you can get extra mileage out of.
If You Enjoyed This…
Make sure you check out my other fun ideas for the school year, like these projects!
Thanks so much for stopping by!
