Summer Plumbing Experiments for Kids

Suns out, schools out kids are? 

In the age of smartphones and Paw Patrol it is so important to get kids off devices and show them how creative they can be. We have 3 “plumbing experiments” that are fun and educational for you to try with your kids this summer!

Kid Plumbers

Let your kids become plumbers in their own backyard!

You will need a sandbox, garden or a section of lawn you are ok digging up (or go to the beach to do this!)*, a few pieces of ½” PVC Pipes and 5 fittings. You can pick those up at any home store. Have the store cut the PVC for you into 3 different sizes, so you have multiple pipes varying in length.

Once outside have the kids fit the pvc together in whatever way they want. They can bury it, or leave it above ground if you don’t want to rip up your lawn! Once it is set and the pieces are fitted bring one exposed piece of PVC to your hose and turn the hose on. If your kids have done it right the water should flow out the other side. After you have done this the kids can redesign their PVC structure, or they can find some objects to put into the PVC and then repeat the hose step. Does the water flow as well to the other side? No it doesn’t, and this is a great educational time to explain to your kids why dumping objects down the toilet is a bad idea.

*If you go to the beach you will need buckets to fill the pipes with water, this will take longer than using a hose. Also you don’t need to dig up your lawn for this experiment, the digging is just an added bonus for the kids to play and learn about what a plumber does.

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Toilet Experiment

We have mentioned this fun experiment in a past blog, but let’s take a more in-depth look at it. What you need: Food Colouring.

Let your kid(s) put a few drops of food colouring into the tank of the toilet. You will now wait to see if any food colouring shows up in the bowl, if it does, your toilet is leaking! If you don’t see any right away, don’t flush the toilet, let it sit for awhile. While you wait to see if any food colouring appears this is a great time to talk to your kids about what can be flushed down the toilet. Obviously urine, fecal matter and toilet paper* are fine. But anything else is not, dead fish, wet wipes, toys, q-tips etc are all not ok to flush down the toilet. Let your kids know these foreign objects can get stuck in the pipes which carries the water to the toilet. This could cause your toilet to overflow and damage to your pipes.

*Have you heard about the wonders of a bidet?

Make a PVC Pipe Water Gun

Water fights are a summer tradition, here is a unique take on making your own watergun! 

When it comes to plumbing Saskatoon and  area, Action Plumbing and Heating, are the experts your family can trust! If you need any plumbing or heating services, please call us at 306-244-8248. You can also book online by clicking here. Thanks for visiting our website, have a beautiful summer with your loved ones!