DIY Life

When I was a kid, many of my friends had slides going right into their pools. Cool. Not quite as cool as a water park, but it did the trick. Can you replicate the water park experience at home?

Homemade water slides are great fun... big fun... huge fun... if they're done right. I should probably write a Don't-it-yourself post on the contraption I have rigged in my backyard right now: a Little Tikes climber with the slide going right into my son's kiddie pool. Yes, it is wobbly and completely unsafe. Don't try this one at home, folks.

Instead, try making this water slide (reminds me of the old Slip 'N Slide from my childhood) from a piece of 4-ply plastic and a sprinkler. Stake it down every 4-5 feet so the plastic is stable, and send the kids whooshing. Rather than just hitting a patch of lawn at the bottom, you could always set up a trap to make a small "watering hole."