How to make a homemade water slide for your backyard play space using a camping tarp, garden hose and a bottle of cheap shampoo!
The hooligans and I love it when the temperatures turn warm in the spring because that’s when we start in with our simple water play activities.
A homemade slip and slide is one of my favourite ways to keep the kids entertained for hours in the yard in summertime.
No need to buy a slip and slide
There’s no need to buy a slip and slide for your backyard when a homemade water slide is so easy to make. It won’t cost you more than the price of an inexpensive camping tarp, and it will provide your kids with hours and hours of good, old-fashioned fun.
I’ve been making these water slides since my own teenage boys were young.
How to make a homemade water slide:
There are a couple of things you can use to make a homemade water slide.
Sometimes I use the heavy-duty clear plastic that we line our backyard skating rink with. Â It’s really sturdy and super-slippery.
Today I’m using a basic camping tarp. Â Both the clear plastic sheeting and these camping tarps are available at most hardware stores.
I spread the tarp out over a small slope in the yard, hung the garden hose up over the clothes-line, and chose a light spray setting. I used that little clip thingy on the hose nozzle to hold the trigger down so the hose would stay on.
Then I drizzled some cheap shampoo over the tarp to make it slippery. You don’t want to miss this step. The kids won’t be able to really slide without it. Just pick up a bottle of shampoo or dish detergent at the dollar store. You don’t want to spend much because you’re going to use a lot of it keeping the tarp slippery. We went through the whole bottle today, but I got it for a dollar so no biggie.
And that, my friends, is how you make a homemade waterslide with a tarp, and a garden hose.
I told you it was easy! 🙂
Check out how much fun they had! The kids spent the whole morning slipping and sliding.
Now that you know how easy it is to make a home water slide, your kids can slip and slide anytime they want in your own backyard.
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Your kids will never be bored again!
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18 Free (or almost free) Things to Add to your Backyard Play Space
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Jackie is a mom, wife, home daycare provider, and the creative spirit behind Happy Hooligans. She specializes in kids’ crafts and activities, easy recipes, and parenting. She began blogging in 2011, and today, Happy Hooligans inspires more than 2 million parents, caregivers and Early Years Professionals all over the globe.
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Beth
This looks like so much fun 🙂
Can you move to the uk and look after my little boy please!!
happyhooligans
Heehee, I don’t think the Hooligans’ parents would appreciate me packing up and leaving, Beth! How ’bout you come here?!
maryanne @ mama smiles
Stunning photos!!! I’ve had this on my to-try list since last summer – thanks for the reminder!
happyhooligans
Thanks MaryAnne! I hope you make one! They’re so easy and so fun!
Rebekah @ The Golden Gleam
Beautiful photos! Ok, now I need a hill for this! Can we come over and play?
happyhooligans
Are you kidding me? I’d LOVE it if you’d come over and play! 🙂 Wouldn’t that be fun?
Linda
Use baby shampoo $1.00 for a 15oz bottle at Dollar Tree and it won’t burn the eyes. We done it for the fourth of July last year. We are making it a lot wider and bigger this year. We use two sprinklers on the side. it worked great.
The Iowa Farmer's Wife
I love it! We have to try it!!! They look like they had a blast!
happyhooligans
Yes! You must, Adrienne! You’ll love it! Either that, or come on over with Rebekah one day, and we’ll all play together. lol
Aabir
Reminded me of my childhood in the states, we got this thing called slip and slide, thanks for sharing, I love your ideas and appreciate you sharing with us. I haves used several ideas, and I must say the idea of cotton wool coated with colored flour was amazing I made it for my Playgroup kids and they enjoyed smashing it with a plastic hammer.
lynn valentine
How do you anchor your tarp/plastic to the hill? Looking forward to doing this for our grandkids this summer.
Jeb
Does this count as a bath since soap is used?
happyhooligans
Of course, Jeb!
Pam Burkhart
Try no-sting baby shampoo to
make it slippery. No Ouchy! Dish soap stings the eyes and hurts their previous cuts and scrapes. Ouchy!
SIMA
WATER SLIDES . Rubi Platinum Spa Resort & Suites 5*. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-wXRT88qCZk
Blessedmamaof2
Hey, was just wondering (since i have complainers lol) did they get any soap in their eye?
happyhooligans
If you use tear-free baby shampoo for your waterslide, there won’t be any problems if anyone gets soap in their eyes, Katrina. 🙂
Margie
Could you use a big of oil – like vegetable oil on the slide instead of baby shampoo to make it slippery??
Jackie Currie
I think I’d stick with the shampoo, Margie. The shampoo just rinses off the tarp and the kids’ bodies, whereas the oil would make everything oily and would probably not be easy to clean off of anyone/anything once the fun is over.
Amber
How big was your camping tarp?
Samantha
This homemade water slide idea is actually amazing. Super excited to try this unique craft, thanks for sharing with us
Offbeat Homestay in Uttarakhand
Thanks for sharing about How to Make a Homemade Water Slide for Your Backyard Play Space, i actually was searching for this one
Uttarakhand Travel Guide
Thanks for sharing about How to Make a Homemade Water Slide, amazing one .