DIY Fun: Outdoor Plumbing Experiment

More water fun! It is still summer, after all! Andrew left this morning and will be gone until Tuesday evening, so what better shenanigans to get into than to build something interesting that will last at least that long?

We took a trip to the hardware store and picked up the following items:

• One long 1/2-inch pvc pipe, cut into various sizes (we asked one of the workers to do it, and he was more than happy to cut them for us for free)
• 1/2-inch elbow pieces (we bought a little package of 10)
• 1/2-inch valves (we picked up 4 of these)
• 1/2-inch t pieces (again, we got a package of 10, but only used a couple)
• One half-inch plastic faucet
• One half-inch joint for faucet

The best part of this activity was watching the little guys piece things together to figure out which way the water would flow. Also, Milo made a few periscopes and it was interesting seeing him figure out that if he used an elbow joint, he would no longer be able to see through the scope. Learning at its finest = learning something when you’re not trying to learn anything at all.

I let them play with the pieces and make a few different runs, like the following complicated number:

… before realizing that the actual water piping system would be more efficient if it had fewer turns and twists. Plus, we were using a ladder and I didn’t want them climbing too far up in order to pour the water into the pipes.

Next: I set up the ladder on the back deck next to the water table. I then used jute to tie a simple piping structure (with a couple of valves and turns as well as two openings in which to pour water) to the ladder so that the water would pour out of the faucet and into the water table (any container would work just as well).

I know, real fancy, huh?

And, as this was an experiment, we tried the hose first:

… which turned out not to be the best, since the water was too hard to control. A watering can with a small opening worked best:

We set this up on Tuesday and the boys have played with it a lot already. Obviously, watch your little people to make sure they don’t climb too high or fall off the ladder! Oliver had a great time stepping on the first step to reach the lower end while Milo poured water into the higher opening. They loved closing and opening valves to redirect or cut off the water flow, as well as turning on and off the faucet at the bottom.

This whole project was easy to do and I’m pleased that when they are finished with the pieces, we can take them apart to use them as building materials in the fall and winter. Because we have so many small adaptable pieces, they can interchange parts to make whatever their imaginations can come up with!