Water Play: Creating a running stream

We've been making the most of some lovely weather over the last couple of weeks and spending as much time as possible outside. Water play is always popular so we created our own make-shift garden water feature with a running stream!

Our recycled water butt with a bit of extra sealant came out to play again (see our Winter Outdoor Water Play for some fun we had with it a couple of months ago).  This was raised up on a bucket full of stones and a riddle, just what we had to hand really, and formed the top part of the stream. 

At the bottom of the run was another yellow flexi-trug and running between the two to form our stream was a piece of guttering.

We then had some little bits of wood offcuts that we used as boats and we had lots of fun letting them 'sail' down the stream and into the bucket at the end.  

Next time I'll think we'll maybe have a go at making some little mini boats or rafts for playing with this, although having said just the little bits of wood provided endless entertainment for both the girls.  They loved sending them down the stream, watching them drop out into the water and then collecting them up to take back to the start.

  

 When the stream stopped running we simply dunked a watering can into the bottom bucket and took it back to the top, refilling the water butt and off it went again.  It even had that nice water feature trickling sound that was nice to listen too!  The tap of the water butt also provided lots of fun for Little Chick seeing if she could stop the boats mid flow and also creating waves by turning it on and off.  

Shoeshine just loved putting her boats on the stream and watching them sail down and drop into the bottom bucket.  She was busy doing this again and again and again! 

Can't wait for some more sunny weather and thinking what other things we could do with water, maybe some dams or locks or waterwheels?  I love this idea of making a weir from At Home with Ali.  What water play do you enjoy?