My husband and I Me, okay, just me. I was planning a “not back to school” party for our kids and a few other families that have recently jumped on the homeschool wagon. My husband was deep in the throes of his super busy season at work. Slip and slide construction was not at the top of his to-do list.
We are lucky enough to have a pool in our backyard, which is a great source of entertainment for a group of kids. By August some of the sparkle had worn off of the pool for my kids. I was searching for something to make this day a little special; to remind them that there are perks associated with homeschool. And really, just a last hurrah for the kind of fun you can only have in the summer.
Enter my plans for a giant slip and slide somewhere on our super hilly acreage. I pinterested the crap out of slip and slide DIY plans. Most involved an assortment of pool noodles, gorilla tape, a 2 x 4 at the top and tent stakes that look like a precursor to an ER visit. The plans that looked least offensive/expensive I emailed to my husband. Um, no, not doing that.
Here is how to throw together a slip and slide that is easier, safer, and had fewer parts (Only three parts!) than any we saw online. Color me impressed.
Slip and slide materials list….
- a large roll of plastic- both of these are appropriate. The second is thicker than the first and more likely to last through multiple uses.
- pool weights that fill with water
- an old fashioned lawn sprinkler
- 3 Arm Water Sprinkler
The super simple directions….
The plans are so simple they almost explain themselves. Unroll your plastic. Lay the pool weights across the top and down either side & fill ’em up. We only used one at the top and one down each side. It was plenty of weight to hold the slip and slide in place, even when big kids were using it. There were no sharp stakes to tear at the plastic or hurt anyone. If your hill tilts one way or the other another weight or two along each side would help contain the water flow on the way down!!
We stopped the plastic before it got to the point that the hill meets the woods, hoping that the kids would slow down and stop there. They didn’t. They went flying off the plastic into our yard a mud pit. Turns out the water and fast moving bodies eroded away all the cushiony grass and dirt and exposing a bed of sharp jagged rocks a few rough spots. Who knew?
There’s Always Next Time
Next time we will run the plastic to the end. You may end up needing something to stop them before you people go flying off the end like ours did. We added a not so pretty but very effective solution was two bales of straw covered with a sheet. Stopping that way is preferable to the rock bed, I say.
The best part is you can wash off, roll up, and save all of your materials for next summer.
It all sounds like fun! I like the idea of a “not back to school” party. It is good that us homeschoolers develop our own traditions, that resonate with the lifestyle.
It is! We have had a lot of fun starting some new traditions!
We used kiddy pools to stop the kids at the end of ours. Like the little round inflatable ones with only 1 or 2 rings high. Love the water pool bag thins. Will be doing that next year, thanks for sharing your idea!
That’s a great idea Shannan! Thanks for sharing!