Summer Water Fun for Kids with Inexpensive Slip N Slide Hack
Summer heat. It isn’t in full swing here yet but it is coming! We have already had a couple of 90 degree days and it is still May (all my South Texas friends are probably laughing because it rarely dips below 90 there). Anyway, when it is hot, water play is on my mind for the kids.
This idea is easy to execute and involves just two main items. It will cool the kids off and keep them entertained for hours. If you need simple summer water fun for kids, this is for you!
Quick Disclaimer: Of course when your children are playing near any type of water, remember to always have them under constant supervision.
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Check out this Awesome Summer Theme Schedule – An easy way to have fun with kids all summer long.
Summer Water Fun For Kids – Slip N Slide Hack
Last year I bought a cheap slip n slide for my then 3 year old. She did not really understand the concept of running an sliding the way that the slip n slide is intended to be used. It took me 3 days but I finally came up with a way for her to have fun using her new toy!
What you Need:
Baby Shampoo
Set Up Instructions
This does work best if you have any kind of small incline in your yard. We have a very small hill but it gives just enough height to help propel the kiddos down the slide. If you don’t have any kind of hill, it will still work, they just will not go quite as fast.
- Place your slide in your yard (preferably at the top of a small incline).
- Place the top of your slip in slide a few inches under your slide and secure it into the ground with the included spikes.
- Roll out your slip in slide. I always like to check the area as I am unrolling for any big twigs or rocks that might cause boo boos for the little ones as they speed over them.
- Attach your Water hose.
- Wet your slide, this just helps for the first few slides. Once the kids get going, their wet bathing suits will keep the slide wet.
- Drizzle the baby shampoo over the slide and the slip n slide. The baby shampoo helps to get it extra slippery so they slide down fast. You may want to reapply a few times but I don’t end up having to do it much. *Any body wash/shampoo would probably work but I use the tear free variety just in case it gets in the kiddos eyes.
Recommended Ages
I did this for the first year when my daughter was 3. She has already been doing it this year at four. The slide that we have recommends a maximum of 60 pounds so we will probably have at least a few more summers out of this little creation. I would say in general it would probably work for kids aged 3-6 or maybe small 7 year olds.
Why Not buy the Little Tikes Slide & Slip Combo
So it appears that Little Tikes can up with the same idea that I had last year.
Don’t worry, they didn’t ask my opinion and I am not a bizillionaire for my awesome slip n slide hack idea. So why not just buy what they made? Here are my thoughts:
- Cheaper – On Amazon, you can buy the two items I suggested for about $6 or $7 less than the combo.
- Existing Slide – The Little Tikes first slide is kind of a household staple. I feel like so many people have this for their kids already. So if you already have the slide, for less than $12 you can buy the slip n slide and have a new use for your slide that results in lots of summer water fun for kids!
- Longer Slip N Slide – The Slip N Slide I use is 14 feet long. The one that comes with the combo is only 10 ft. So especially as the kids get older, the longer one will probably be a little more fun.
We have tons of Little Tikes items that we absolutely love, but for this slip n slide hack I just prefer to make my own!
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