Ready to embrace summer fun (and get a little messy)?
Today, we’re going to build a small waterslide! Watch the video below for step-by-step instructions and ideas to get inspired by everyday objects you have sitting around your house!
Waterslide
Goals:
Embrace the mess
Engage creativity and imagination
Children will:
Create a waterslide using recycled objects and everyday, household materials
Tinker and build, then experiment, test, and observe
What you’ll need:
Water
A place for mess
Water container
Tools (scissors, pencil)
Stuff to hold your waterslide up
Stuff to make your waterslide
How to:
First, look around your house. What do you play with? Is there anything you see that would be good to make your waterslide out of? Think about the material - you want things that water will slide down, not get stuck in! What about materials to hold your waterslide up? Can you use building blocks, boxes, or cups? Maybe you can use tape, straws, or sticks for support. Get creative!
Next, find your water container. You could use a recycled plastic container, a paper or plastic cup, or something similar! You can poke a hole in your water container so your water flows down your waterslide (or if you don’t want to poke a hole, you can just use the container to pour water down your waterslide).
Before you start building, find a good place for a mess and grab something to keep on hand so you can clean up the mess while you experiment and tinker! Kim used a cookie tray on her table and some kitchen towels. You could also do this activity outside.
Build, build, build! Start with your stuff to hold your waterslide up, then use the stuff to make your waterslide. Get creative, test, observe, and change up your design. If your first waterslide isn’t perfect, that’s okay - tinkering is all about problem solving and trying new things!
Check out this video demonstration from Kim, Director of Art and Tinkering Studios:
Embrace messiness with this week's at home activity: How to build a waterslide!