Inexpensive Backyard Play with Rain Gutters and Drain Pipe

This weekend, we had some fun with a trip to Home Depot and some back yard projects!

We bought a 10 ft. length of black plastic drain pipe for $5.95 and used zip ties to attach it to our play set:

I saw this idea in Family Fun magazine (many issues ago – can’t remember which one!). The boys thought it was great! They put balls down it and watched them come out the other end. They talked through it and banged on it – it makes really interesting sounds. They also tried pouring water down the tube with a cup, and then Dad set up the hose to send a constant stream of water down it. Lots of fun!

We also bought a 10 ft. section of vinyl rain gutter. I found some great ideas for rain gutter play at Teach Preschool and Little Illuminations.

We cut the gutter into 3 sections and made a double waterfall:

We bought end caps for one of the gutter sections so that it would stay filled with water. It made a great place to play with toy sharks!

Today, we brought the gutter pieces inside and made them ramps for hot wheels cars. They worked great! We used two sections to make a ramp, and it gave the cars enough speed that they kept going across the carpet. The boys tested our various cars to see which ones would travel the farthest.

I’m thinking that rain gutters are just about as versatile as pool noodles! Do you have any more ideas for ways to play with rain gutters?