Summer is edging near to the horizon. Your children are likely buzzing with excitement as they daydream about the seemingly endless summer days sprinkled with sunshine and cooled down with ice cream sundaes. Before summer arrives, you might want to think of some ways to keep the kids busy, active, and away from their screens. Keep on reading for more information on how to make an outdoor water wall for your kids—they are going to love this.
Water Wall
Perhaps you stumbled upon this article and know absolutely nothing about the existence of water walls—that’s completely OK because we are going to explain it all. A water wall is an interactive and amusing way to keep your kids active and outside during the long summer days. The water element of this activity helps keep kids cool as the heat rises. Moreover, the modular aspect of a water wall helps your children improve and grow their spatial skills.
For yourself, you will find that the best part of a water wall is that it’s a cost-effective way to keep your children engaged. Most of the required materials needed to build this wall are lying around your house. Now we will get into the nitty-gritty of how to make an outdoor water wall for your kids.
Wall
For your wall, you will need a vertical surface to which you can tie, staple, or glue various supplies. There are options available here, as you can choose to build it or use a material you have in or around your home. For example, you can use your chain-link fence, an old wooden seat, a bench, or a lattice; these options all work fantastic. If you choose to build your wall, here are some materials you may need:
- Plywood
- Two triangular pieces
- One large square piece
- Water-proof wood glue
- Electric screwdriver
- Optional: weather shield paint (any color)
Glue and screw the triangular wood fixtures to the bottom of your square piece to make your wall stand on its own. Keep in mind that you can build your wall however you choose to; there is no one way to do this. Whether you built your wall or you found it, you may consider painting it a brilliant color. If you do, ensure it’s weather shield paint. With your wall found and finished, you can now move on to making it a water wall.
Supplies
Before going into depth on the materials you may need, it’s essential to know that a water wall is extremely customizable. You have quite a lot of leeway in terms of what required materials you will need as you may scavenge about your house to find the supplies that work best for you. Nonetheless, here are some of the supplies you may need. However, remember that this isn’t a comprehensive list.
- Scissors
- Zip ties
- Staple gun or electric screwdriver
- Pool noodles
- Plastic buckets and bottles
- Spray bottles
- Optional: various trinkets
Building your wall is quite simple, and the best part is you can make it your own. If you feel overwhelmed, don’t worry—trust the process. You can make your water wall as simple or as extensive as you wish, and you can easily find many of the objects already in your house. Moreover, this is also an excellent opportunity to recycle your plastic buckets and bottles.
Water Catcher
The first thing you will want to do is find a large bucket designated for holding all the water. If you can find an old rectangular plastic box lying around your basement, that will work great. The shape of the rectangular box will fit nicely underneath your wall to catch all the water. This will allow you to reuse your water and keep your grass from over-saturation.
Next, find some cups that the kids can pick up the water and interact with the water wall. You may use water bottles, watering cans, or a turkey baster. Try to locate various tools that can carry, pour, push, and pull water. Providing an assortment of cups allows your children to learn about gravity and develop their motor skills.
Attachments
When building your water wall, keep in mind that the main goal is to pick and choose objects that let water flow. The sky is the limit here as you can likely find many recyclable things around the house for you to use. Many parents love to use recyclable plastic bottles, funnels, and water wheels. You can cut the ends off any plastic bottles and fasten them to various areas on your wall with zip ties or a staple gun.
Let It Flow
Once you have your attachments, the next thing you need is something long and malleable to allow the water to move from one location to another. You will find that pool noodles are an excellent option for this as you can control the length and shape. Moreover, you can even cut them horizontally, allowing a visual look at the water flowing.
Many parents love to use foam noodles for a wide range of purposes, from baby-proofing furniture to building a water wall. When you have children, you can find many uses for pool noodles. If you want to use these dynamic toys, FoamNoodles has foam noodles in bulk in various colors and shapes for you to choose from.
Décor
Adding décor to your water wall is optional but fun, nonetheless. If you wish to deck out your wall, try to choose trinkets and toys that you know your children will love. You can even create a themed water wall; some options are superhero, princess, cowboy, and space. Moreover, you can add some decorations to the surrounding areas, such as putting rubber ducks in your water catcher.
Enjoy
There are many learning opportunities to this wall as you can introduce your children to science, technology, engineering, and mathematics. Moreover, it allows them to develop their hand-eye coordination and motor skills and keeps them occupied during the long summer days. As you likely know, children love to play with water due to its sensory element that provides a stimulating and comforting sensory experience for them. A water wall is a great cost-effective option that you and your children will love.
