How to Make an Aluminum Foil River for Summer

Turn aluminum foil into a water activity perfect for pretend play in this aluminum foil river idea for kids! A super cheap way to keep your kids entertained this summer!

And check out my short form crafting series Curious Crafting on TVOkids and TVOkids YouTube! Watch all the episodes here. Look for season 2 coming in the new year!

How to Make an Aluminum Foil River for Summer

1. Unroll your aluminum foil as long as you want your river to be. Unroll a second piece just as long as the first and lay it on top. Although the second layer isn’t absolutely necessary, I found it much easier to create and sustain the river with it. You can set up your foil river either on grass (and then the water flow on to the grass) or on a gently sloping surface outside. Be sure to press down the foil to get the river to flow on grass.
2. Start to construct the river bed. Lay the aluminum foil flat on the ground and fold up the edges about 2-3 inches on either side to form the river bed. I used large rocks from my garden to help secure the sides of the river.
3. Place the hose at one end and turn it on to fill the river and start the flow. The higher the water pressure the stronger the current.
4. Place a bucket at the other end of the river to catch the water as it flows out. And watch as your boats (or anything really) flow down. Or place the other end in your garden or area that needs watering.

5. Optional: Decorate your river bed with blue gemstones.
6. Enjoy the river with either your favourite boat bath toys or boats you and you child craft together (Check out Sponge Boats Craft for ideas). You can also just find things in your backyard to see if they will float like leaves, flowers or even grass.
7. When they are done playing, don’t toss that aluminum foil! Use it for more fun activities and crafts once it has dried. Here are a few ideas to get you started:

• Paint the foil
• Paint the foil and make prints on a sheet of white paper and turn them into flowers.
• Wrap puzzle pieces in time foil.
• Make asteroid ☄️ balls and toss into a laundry basket.
• Use it to craft a robot.

Problem Solving

Fix any areas that are leaking water by bending the foil lip higher. This is a great problem solving activity that older kids can help with!

Saving Water or Water your Garden

If you don’t want to continuously run your hose you can also secure the ends and create a standing river! My kids a lot of fun with this idea as well!

This is also a great way to water your garden as well so set up your river so that it ends in your garden, and check one thing off your to do list!

Age Suitability for Aluminum Foil River

This activity is good for kids 3 years and up. My kids are 4, 4, and 8 year old. Any younger they tend to just want to step all over the river bed.

Mess Level

This is a mess level is low.

Difficulty to Create

Medium.

Skills Developed in Aluminum Foil River

Sensory play, language development, hand-eye coordination, fine motor skills, imaginative play, creativity.

Supplies for Aluminum Foil River

(This post and list contains affiliate links for your convenience. If you make a purchase using one of these links, I may earn a commission. Please visit my disclosure policy for more information.)

• Aluminum foil
• Toy boats
• Rocks
• Blue stones (optional)

Check out My Books, TV Show & Play Kits!

Book: Exciting Sensory Bins for Curious Kids

Did you know I wrote a book of sensory bins? Click here for more information Exciting Sensory Bin for Curious Kids. Or grab your copy at Amazon. 

Boring afternoons are made exciting with awesome animal-based bins, like Salty Shark Bay or Yarn Farm. Pretend play bins like Birthday Cake Sensory Play or Bubble Tea Party encourage creativity and imagination. And your kids will have so much fun they won’t even know they’re getting smarter with STEAM (science, technology, engineering, art and math) activities like Sink or Float Soup, Magnetic Letter Hunt or Ice Cream Scoop and Count.

Book: Super STEAM Activity Book for Kids

Learning all about science, technology, engineering, art, and math sets kids up for scholastic success―and it can be so much fun! Watch kids enjoy building STEAM skills as they color friendly fish, help water find its way to tree roots, solve math problems with mazes, and more. 

Find out more and grab your copy here.

Book: Big Book of Riddles for Kids – coming out September 27, 2022

Book: STEAM Crafts for Kids – coming out November 29, 2022

TV Show: Curious Crafting

I’m so excited to share my new crafting TV show Curious Crafting which launched July 1 at on TVOkids and TVOkids YouTube!

This show is all about fun and easy crafts for toddlers and preschoolers. 

Set in the ultimate crafting space, Curious Crafting is a short form pre-school age series about the joy of making crafts. I lead a rotating cast of adorable little preschoolers (including my own) making magic out of common household objects.

In each episode we transform recycled items into magical crafts like a milk carton school bus, paper bag puppet or cotton pad turtle. The crafters learn and laugh their way through each activity while demonstrating what their young imaginations can create. 

Curious Crafting shares the adventure and joy of making art with takeaway lessons for creating crafts at home.

The Best Sensory Play Kits for Kids

Play is at the core of learning during the early years and it can take many forms. One of the most important of these is sensory play because it engages all of a child’s senses (taste, touch, smell, sight and hearing) and has a enoumous positive impact on brain development.

Our Sensory Play Kits are some fun and easy ways to keep your child engaged while at the same time using sensory play to nurture their mind!

Shop our ready made play kits here.

WILL YOU TRY ALUMINUM FOIL RIVER WITH YOUR KIDS THIS SUMMER? PIN IT FOR LATER!