This post may contain affiliate links. Please read our disclosure policy. Adult supervision is required for all activities found on HappyToddlerPlaytime.com.
DIY Water Wall is an amazing STEAM activity for kids this summer! Its a great way to beat the summer heat!
Making a Water Wall
The hardest part of building this water wall was gathering the supplies. I happened to have the funnels and clean tubing from another activity that I did when we went camping. I was cleaning out my craft corner and thought that instead of toss it I could reuse it in another activity. Its still pretty hot here and I wanted to get the kids outside and playing with water. We have done a pool noodle water wall and that as a real hit so I knew if I committed the time to build a water wall with piping and bottles it would definitely get significant use.
This activity is a great way to keep cool on a hot summer day but its also a great STEAM activity for toddlers, preschoolers and even older kids! They can learn about gravity and how water flows. My kids made so many interesting observations during this activity and asked so many great questions. It really got them thinking about the way water flows and why. I also love this activity because it made use of many bottles that I had been saving for something awesome like this!
How to Make A DIY Water Wall: Summer STEAM Activity
The Wall
The size of your wall will depend on where it will be located. I used the banister on our back deck. It’s out of the way and not used by adults. It’s close to their mud kitchen and play house in the kids section of the backyard.
Recycled Containers and Tubing
You’ll need a large rubber piping for this activity. I had about 10 feet but you can use more or less depending on the size of the water wall you want to build. I used duct tape to attach funnels to the top of the tubing. Then I attached the tubing to the banister using two zip-ties. I attached one zip tie to another in order to make it longer.
Constructing the Wall
I then cut the bottom off of several different types of bottles such as a sturdy Evian water bottle and shampoo and conditioner bottles. I used box cutters to slice off the bottom of the bottles.
To attach the bottom to the banister I made to slits in the back of the bottles and then thread the zip ties through and then attached them to the posts.
I angled everything downwards so that the water would flow nicely. Placing a large bowl at the bottom of the tubes and bottles to catch the water. This is a great way to save water in this activity.
Other Ways to Play
After my kids were playing for quite some time, I decide to add some liquid water colors to the water.
They mixed the water and poured it down the tubes and bottles. Sooo much fun!
Age Suitability for a DIY Water Wall
This activity is good for kids 18 months and up. My kids are 4, 4, and 8 year old.
Mess Level
This is a mess level is medium.
Difficulty to Create a DIY Water Wall
Medium.
Skills Developed
Sensory play, language development, hand-eye coordination, fine motor skills, imaginative play, creativity.
Supplies to Make A DIY Water Wall
(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.)
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.
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.
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.
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!