This afternoon, Engineer and Snoopy were focused on a very important construction project on the back deck. They brought some of Engineer’s PVC pipes over to the water table to see what they could make. I had an absolute blast watching them build and rebuild the pipes, test them out, and giggle before starting again.
The boys built a variety of shapes using lengths of PVC pipes and fittings. At first, they were content pouring water in the pipes to see how long it would take them to overflow.
From there, they tried to make longer, more complicated pipe structures. I found it really interesting to watch as they tried to figure out why the water wasn’t flowing up (the starting point for the water was lower than the water output at the time). Since Engineer is so curious, he and I have already had a discussion about how water flows down. I could see his face light up when he remembered it, telling Snoopy, “water goes down!” I asked him how he planned to move the water if he knew that. I swear he looked at me as if I was leaking brain cells, then said, “Mama, we just keep putting more and more and more water in until there’s no more room!” They did just that, adding water until it had nowhere to go but out.
Next, they set about transferring water from the water table to a bowl on the picnic table. They got that taken care of rather quickly, then had fun pouring tons of water through the pipes. At this point, Little Hurricane came on the scene. He loved watching the water run out the end of the pipes!
After watching the water for a while, Little Hurricane had fun trying to catch it in his hands. So much so that he belly-laughed while jumping up and down. That just about cracked me up!
Little Hurricane also tried catching the water in cups. It was hysterical to watch him “yell” at the pipes when water wasn’t coming out. Then he decided blowing bubbles with the PVC pipe was more fun.
Obviously, I didn’t plan this activity for the boys. It came about organically, with Engineer and Snoopy leading the way. I love planning activities for my kiddo and my students, of course. But there’s just something about observing as children make their own plans come to fruition with little or no help from me. The only thing I did here was ask a question or two and hold the pipes when asked.
Shared at Weekly Kids Co-Op, THE Pin-It Party, We Made That, Outdoor Play Party, Empty Your Archive
maryanne @ mama smiles says
August 11, 2012 at 9:09 pmWhat a great activity!
grok78 says
August 12, 2012 at 8:26 amThanks! The kiddo has been building variations all weekend. 🙂
Jen (@kcchronicles) says
August 28, 2012 at 4:04 pmGreat fun! Thanks for linking to the outdoor play party.
grok78 says
August 28, 2012 at 8:34 pmThanks for hosting! 🙂
jackie says
July 6, 2013 at 11:01 pmI love how much learning there is going on in here! Fun, wet AND educational!
MaryC says
July 7, 2013 at 8:33 pmThanks so much, Jackie!! 🙂 The kids have had waaaaay too much fun with it, let me tell you!! The older boys at one point worked together to spray Little Hurricane down! Lots of giggles, and hours of fun (and we’ve done this activity over and over and over).
Eric VanRaepenbusch says
July 7, 2013 at 8:45 amGreat idea! We have seen this at museums but I never thought to bring the idea home! Pinning for later!
MaryC says
July 7, 2013 at 8:34 pmThanks, Eric! Let me know how it goes with your kiddos after you’ve tried it. I’m sure they’ll have a blast. 🙂
Kierna Corr (@CiarnaC) says
July 8, 2013 at 10:13 amThis looks like so much fun & I bet it kept their attention for ages, thanks for adding this to the Outdoor Play Party.
MaryC says
July 8, 2013 at 1:13 pmLove the outdoor play party, so thanks for hosting! Yes, this one activity keeps the children engaged for hours on end! I always love watching what they build and listening to their giggles and excited comments. 🙂
Laurie L says
March 30, 2014 at 3:32 pmMy 6yr old would LOVE LOVE LOVE this!!! I have never done something like this before and would love to suprise him…Would you be willing to supply a list of the different lengths & diameters of pipe and the different types of fittings (elbows, etc) that you used for the “kit”, along with the quantities of each? That would be absolutely great!! Thank you!!!
Mary Catherine says
April 3, 2014 at 4:11 pmOh Laurie, I’m so happy to hear that! My son is still very fascinated by projects like this! I don’t have a set list for the pvc pipes we have at the house, as we randomly expand our set. It just depends on the projects we’re thinking of, or if we happen to be at the hardware store. 🙂 We’ve gotten many different lengths of 1-inch PVC pipes with all of the fittings — elbows, Ts, crosses, etc.
Sue says
June 28, 2016 at 10:03 pmI was also hoping to find a list of suggested sizes. Do you buy a long piece and cut it yourself. I guess I have never bought this pvc pipe before. What would I need to cut it and do you sand ends with something?
Mary Catherine says
July 23, 2016 at 5:25 pmSo sorry, but we just went with varying sizes to keep at home. Some are about 6 inches, others are a foot, 2 feet, and 3 feet. We’ve got several of each size so the kids can create and use them in different ways. I went to one of the local hardware stores and asked an employee to cut them apart as such. I didn’t end up needing to sand the edges down, but that’s a good idea of the cut isn’t as clean as it could be.
Alice @ Mums Make Lists says
May 27, 2014 at 7:38 pmWant a fantastic post … I need to have a rooty through our shed to see what old piping I can find.
Mary Catherine says
May 27, 2014 at 7:41 pmAw, thanks Alice! This is one of those favorite activities we’ve done for years. Every age I’ve tried it with has enjoyed it too! I hope you can find some pipes in your shed. 🙂
Ashley says
June 11, 2014 at 4:07 pmGreat fun! Featured this on Mom’s Library this week!