DIY Slip-and-Slide

We faced a hot, sunny afternoon today. Armed with a 50′ x 3′ heavy duty contractor drop cloth, a package of U-shaped garden stakes, and several jugs of water, we made our way to a nearby park where there was a big hill and….

…..and made our own Slip N Slide!!

Emily thought this was the most awesome thing EVER!!!

We unrolled the drop cloth down the hill, and pierced garden stakes through it on both sides, every 4 feet or so to keep it in place. Put down some water, get a good running start…. and slide!!!

She did lots of giggling, slipping, sliding, and splashing!! (And I got to rest a bit and watch her wear herself out, although next time I might have to take a few turns myself!)

Who can resist this much fun???

I linked this post to:

Weekend Wrap Up @ Tatertots and Jello
Made By You Monday @ Skip to My Lou

Comments

  1. oohh my goodness this looks like a wonderful hot summer day activity!!

    • Emily said she was quite refreshed! And she was all tired out from all the running and sliding!

  2. The best photos!

    • Thank you!! I was afraid I was going to be slid into, but managed to escape being hit. πŸ˜‰

  3. What a terrific hill – so much potential for fun!

    • At times I wish our yard had a hill, but then again it would be kind of a pain for Mark to mow…. but when we have good snow for sledding or weather for something like this slip and slide… then I wish we had a hill in our yard. The park worked out perfectly!!

  4. That is the most awesome thing EVER!

  5. My kids love to slip & slide, but we have never made our own. Very cool!

    • We don’t have one, but several of Emily’s friends do and I think she loved this version of it. It’s fun!!

  6. Dear Valerie,

    Emily needs to gain some more weight — then she will really pick up speed!

    Love,
    Mark

  7. Slip and slides are so much fun! We made one out of thick plastic a few years ago and the kids had a ball!

  8. Oh, this reminds me so much of camp! At the High School week every year, they create a crazy long Slip ‘n Slide- which of course ends in a giant mud puddle!

    Good times, good times…

  9. Okay, love the idea of taking it to a local park and dousing it with water. Now can I carry enough water to do that?

    • You can see our car parked at the top of the hill, so I didn’t carry the water very far at all. Then again, I’m a tiny and scrawny weakling, so you’d probably be fine!

  10. Looks fun and I’m glad to see she’s going head first!

    When I was 14 I got a job coaching a 4 year old baseball team. My boss suggested that when it got hot we could make a slip and slide somewhat like yours to “practice sliding.” Well, we were coaching baseball after all and baseball slides are properly done feet first. The first three kids went down on their bottoms, then their heads snapped back and slammed into the ground. It was awful, but we all learned something about slip n slide safety! =)

    • LOL — Ouch! It took Emily a couple of tries to really get going. She kept trying to perfect her technique, but I don’t think it occurred to her to try going feet first. Probably a good thing!!

  11. GREAT pics Valerie!

  12. It looks like too much fun. How did you manage to bring all the equipment to the park – it must have been quite a load!

    • The drop cloth rolled up and doesn’t take up a lot of room, but I did bring several jugs of water. Fortunately, I didn’t have to lug them far because the hill was right near where I could park the car. It’s a good thing too, because I’m a tiny weakling!!

  13. I LOVE this idea and featured it today on my blog with a roundup of other fun inspirational ideas:

    http://oopsey-daisy.blogspot.com/2010/08/wednesdays-wowzers-enjoy-summer-while.html

    Thanks for sharing!!
    ~Alison

    • Thanks so much for the link, Alison! I really appreciate it!! xoxo πŸ™‚ You have other great ideas there too!!

  14. We made a big on of these in our back pasture for a sixth grade graduation party. To make it extra fast for these kids we put dish soap and baby oil in a sprayer and sprayed the slide. Those kids FLEW down that thing. Big Fun!

  15. What an awesome series of photos! She sure does look like she’s having a fantastic time.

    • Thanks so much, Tara! I hope we get a few more warm days left this summer so we can try this again. πŸ™‚

  16. That looks like it was allot of fun. Yes, next time you must try it!

  17. Love seeing you pop up on Made By You Monday. :>)

  18. Woah!! I bet it was a lot of fun!!!

  19. Hey Valerie! A classic water day – the slip-n-slide – and so nice to have a DIY version! I included this in a roundup of ways to beat the heat with water and ice – I also included your pretend laundry too! You are always full of amazing ideas!

Trackbacks

  1. […] This post was mentioned on Twitter by Cathy James, Valerie. Valerie said: Need a way to beat the heat? Make your own Slip-and-Slide!! Easy, Frugal, and FUN!!!! –> http://bit.ly/dArrtk […]