This Ultimate DIY Splash Pad is the perfect way for your kids to stay cool as the summer rolls on. It’s made with really inexpensive materials that can be purchased at any hardware store and your kids will be entertained for hours!
DIY Splash Pad
This week on Summer Survival for Moms of Boys we are sharing all sorts of fun water play ideas to keep your kids cool during the hottest part of the summer. My handy husband and boys put together this fun DIY Splash Pad that kept my boys entertained all morning on Saturday. All you need is a few items from the hardware store to create a splash pad that will make you the envy of the neighborhood kids.
We love coming up with new ideas to do with pool noodles and this adds to our collection of 5 Pool Noodle Activities, Pool Noodle Swords, and the Pool Noodle Goal Post.,
DIY Splash Pad Materials
The majority of the materials, minus the pool noodles, sprinkler and Slip N Slide can be found at a hardware store. I have included affiliate links for your convenience.
- 50 ft Roll of 1/2″ Irrigation Tubing
- 9 Pool Noodles
(we always stock up at the dollar store at the beginning of every summer.)
- Hole Punch for Drip Tubing
- Irrigation 360 Degree Bubblers
- 2 each 3/4″ Wooden Dowels
per arch. We used 6 total.
- 3/4″ PVC Pipe cut into 6 inch lengths. 6 total.
- 1/2″ Polyhose end clamp
- Male end hose connector made for drip tubing
- Slip N Slide
- Banzai Wiggling Water Sprinkler
- Duct tape
Step 1: Use a hammer to pound dowels into the ground about 4 ft apart. You could use longer dowels to make it more sturdy. We used ones we had cut when we made our Pool Noodle Activities. You can check out that post on how to cut the dowels if you are unsure. Most of the ones we used were tall dowels but we ran out and had to do a couple of cut ones from our previous activities.
Step 2:
Slip a pool noodle over each of the dowels and use a third pool noodle to create an archway. Insert a small dowel or piece of PVC pipe into the ends of the pool noodles to help them stay together, slip a pool noodle over it and then use duct tape to reinforce the hold.
Repeat on both sides to form an archway. We made three archways total but you could do as many as you want.
Step 4: Use Duct tape to attached the Banzai Wiggling Water Sprinkler
Step 5: Attach one end of the rubber tubing into a male end attachment for tubing and attach to a hose.
Step 6: Stretch out the rubber tubing and use duct tape to attach it to the archways, near the top.
Step 7: Use a tubing cutter to place holes in the tubing at regular intervals. Insert the sprayers and adjust the spray to high.
Step 8: Kink off the end of the tubing using a hose end clamp.
Step 9: Add a Slip N Slide underneath the arches or a large plastic tarp and turn on the water! We loved using the Slip N Slide because it also sprayed water out so we we got thoroughly soaked!! Plus it made a little pool at the end which was fun as well.
If you wanted you could actually run the tubing along the top of all of the arches because the nice thing about it is you can choose where to add the sprayers so you can get as custom as you like. My boys played for hours and you can tell they all had a blast. They were getting sprayed the entire time they were in the splash pad and could have stayed out there the entire day. Unfortunately mom made them come in once the temps reached high into the 100s. I’m such a mean mom. 😉
This post is a part of our Summer Survival for Moms of Boys series and make sure to check out all of the fun ideas that have been shared so far.
If you liked this DIY Splash Pad, you may also like:
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Thanks for the idea and instructions. This looks like the perfect thing for my kids to play in. It probably won’t excite them like the splash pad downtown, they are always begging to go there. However, maybe it will sate them for a while. I will just have to be sure to make it big enough for me to go down it.
So glad it was helpful! Yes, make sure you can play with them. They’ll love it. 🙂
This fun activity would be great for a boy’s b-day party in the summer!
Hi Kara!! I’m a mom of boys too. Mine are grown now and that part about it not being for the weak isn’t ending. It’s awesome though and there’s a reason God gives us boys. Don’t you think? Your slip and slide is amazing.
Thank you so much for joining us at Thoughts of Home on Thursday. We are thrilled to have you.
There is definitely a reason for God giving us boys! The days are long but the years are SO short. But I wouldn’t trade a single moment of it!
That looks like so much fun!! It would awesome for our hot Alabama heat too!!
This is awesome! Thanks for sharing at Merry Monday. 🙂