This kid car wash is an outrageously fun, zany, and memorable summer activity for kids of all ages. Using pvc pipes your family can make a backyard water activity for kids that will be the envy of the neighborhood. This EPIC water play for kids took 2 hours and less than $35 in supplies for a reusable, endless summer fun project. This summer stem activity allows you to design and engineer your own diy kids car wash.
Kid car wash
This kid car wash is one of those epic summer projects that your kids will talk about into their adulthood. Not only was it a fun way to cool off on a hot summer day, but building it together was such a precious memory and fun wayto introduct kids to the process of building. Plus this summer stem project takes less than 2 hours and costs about $35 to make it. The options for making a water activities is truly endless and open ended. Basically you are going to crate a standing suppor system where water will flow through it to get your kids watered as they walk through the childrens car wash. The exact placement isn’t so important as allowing kids to put it together with trial and error to create theri custom summer activity for preschoolers! This water play for kids is fun for all ages, but expecially toddlers, preschoolers, kindergartners, grade 1, grade 2, grade 3, grade 4, grade 5,and grade 6 students.
Summer STEM Activity
Althought you can dress up your kid wash in a variety of ways the basics of what you need to make this project work are the following. So head to your local Menards, Lowes, or Home Depot to pick up these supplies:
Supply List:
- 8x 10 feet 3/4” PVC pipe
- 12 T’s
- 2 crosses
- 7 elbows
- 4 caps
- 1 T with with 2 1” and middle 3/4”
- 1 straight fitting
- 1 female hose adapter (threaded)
- pool noodle
- craft foam, Velcro, and permanent marker (for signs)
- 3 large sponges, 40 feet nylon lawn chair webbing, paper fasteners, and rope (car wash accessories)
Water activity for kids
You will need to cut the PVC pipe to the following sizes (I wrote size on each piece so we could take it apart at the end of the season and build it again!).
- 22x 30” long
- 1x 5 feet long
- 4x 3 feet long
- 2x 1 feet long
- 3x 6” long
HINT: Apparently Lowe’s will cut the pvc pipe to size for you so if you want to make this project and you aren’t particularly handy in the tool department – no worries!
Water play for kids
Drill holes for the water to come out! You can do this however you like. We drilled 15 holes (all in a row) each in two of the 3 foot pieces, 3 holes on two of the 30” pieces, and 3 holes in two of the caps.
Summer stem activity
Now it is time to assemble your wash. We put it together just like Family Fun suggested. Click here for online assembly instructions.
DIY kids car wash
Then it’s time to PLAY!!
Summer Activity for Kids
And then they wanted to get soaped up to go through!
Childrens Car Wash
Even Tinker Bell went through…. but she preferred it as a CAR WASH!
Summer activities for preschoolers
Even now, over 10 years later this is still a favorite summer activity!
Summer Fun
Looking for more outdoor activities for kids and things to do in the summer? Your toddler, preschool, pre k, kindergarten, and elementary age kids will love these fun ideas to keep them busy all summer long:
- Marshmallow Shooters – go over 30 feet!
- 2 ingredient Easy Slime Recipe
- How to Make a Lava Lamp – it’s super EASY!
- Kids will no nuts over this simple Pop Rock Experiment
- Handprint Strawberry Craft for Summer
- Grow Your Own Crystals
- Water Balloon Experiment – exploring densit with an EPIC summer activity for kids
- Amazing Bubble Painting
- Mind Blowing Color Changing Playdough
Summer Activities for Kids
- Egg Shell DIY Chia Pet Craft – Silly Spring / Summer Activities for Kids
- Grass Head Craft for Kids
- Blow GIANT bubbles with this Homemade Bubble Solution
- Outrageously FUN Bubble Painting
- Bleeding Tissue Paper Fireworks Craft
- Beautiful Flower Suncatcher Craft
- 30 Fun June Crafts for Kids
- Must try Lego Zipline
- Exploding Watermelon Science Experiment
- Homemade Chalk Recipe
- 75+ FUN Scavenger Hunts for Kids
- Find activities by month with our June Crafts for kids or our June Activities for Kids!
Fun Summer Activities for Kids
- Ice Cream Edible Playdough
- Whip up a batch of Kool Aid Playdough – it smells amazing!
- Amazing Tin Foil Art Project for Kids of all Ages
- Vinegar and Baking Soda Rocket Science Experiment for Kids
- Summer Bucket List Printable with Ice Cream Theme
- How to Make Ice Cream in a Bag
- Ice Cream Playdough Patterns
- Head to the zoo with this FREE Zoo Scavenger Hunt – lots of choices for all ages!
- Make your favorite animal with one of these 100 animal crafts
- Try one of these fun Animal I Spy Printables
- Epic Squirt Gun Painting
- Play with your food using this goldfish counting activity
- After seeing the frogs at the pond, grab this free life cycle of a frog worksheet
- Avoid the summer learning loss by practicing math with these crack the code worksheets
- First Day of Summer Craft
- Create this gorgeous stained glass art for kids
- 107 Epic Summer Activities for Kids
Ice Cream Activities
If you are looking for more ice cream activities to add to your ice cream theme of summer learning, check these out!
- AMAZING, Edible Play doh ice cream Recipe that scoops like ice creaam!
- Ice Cream Themed, Summer Bucket List Ideas
- Work on tracing letter with these free Alphabet Ice Cream Printables
- Delicious Alphabet Ice Cream Printables Puzzles to help kids practice matching upper and lowercase letters
- Check out these Alphabet Mats for your Ice Cream Theme
- Practice adding to to with these cute Make 10 Ice Cream Math
- Cute, Hands-on Number Bonds Ice Cream Activity
- Printable Digraph Activities for first grade scooping Ice Cream
- Ice Cream Compound Word Activity
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