We decided to be creative while trying to bear the heat of the summer this year by making our own kiddy pool. We took a under the bed plastic storage bin which had been storing random pieces of clothing and filled it with water for our own makeshift pool. Karis loves it and has a blast in it for most of the day during a few heat waves we have had this summer. Works great for small spaces as well as we are limited on our condo patio. We replace the lid when not in use to prevent the water from getting dirty, but also to save the water! In the winter, I want to transform it into a sand box. We will probably keep it on the deck but may also experiment with bringing it into the kitchen for some winter fun.
Have you been keeping cool? How are you enjoying the summer?
We SO do this! And the sandbox works well, too! Great idea!!!
I love the kiddie pool idea!
This is a seriously genius idea! Thanks for sharing!! Earth friendly and good for your kid and you can reuse the container when your children outgrow it!
I love it!! We tried this with my daughter, but she wants us to get in with her so we did break down and buy a cheap blow up pool that we can fit in.
I’ve never commented on your blog but have thought about it numerous times. I follow it closely and have learned SO much from you. Thank you for living your life openly so others can learn and grow. This kiddy pool idea is fabulous. My little 21 month old boy is in it right now and loves it. We live in an apartment so yes our space is limited. I love your Garden Chowder Soup too and have incorporated a lot of your simplicity ideas as well. I love this kind of living and have been inspired by you. It’s also so great to know you and your family love the Lord! We are followers of Christ as well! So, thank you sister for allowing God to use your life. May you be encouraged today!
I wish we’d had some heat to suffer through this summer! It has felt like Fall for at least a couple weeks already… good thing Fall is my favorite season, I guess
We fill up a wheelbarrow around these parts. My kids are a little older 4 & 5 so I don’t worry too much about it tipping. They really love. In fact, when we had a blow up pool for a while, my kids would still prefer the wheel barrow some days. Maybe because it warms up faster.
Oh what a great idea! I’ll have to try that on a hot day.
Great idea! I love this!!
I did this with a plastic drawer from one of the storage type of drawer things. It was lightening really badly outside and i needed to give my little one a bath, but was worried about lightening hitting the house… so I filled up the drawer and let her bathe in it. It worked really well.
Oh goodness it’s really hot here today. I’m grateful for the AC, but mostly just for working so my butt doesn’t sweat too much in this chair! ha!
The sandbox will be so much fun for her! I remember my dad built me one when I was 5 or 6. (maybe even before) I LOVED it. so maybe when you have outgrown your home, and you get a place w/a nice backyard, maybe Aaron can build Karis one. My sandbox was pretty big. I had so much fun!!
I used to work for a “mothers’ morning out” program, and we had a tub filled up with dried beans for the toddlers to play in. We added scoops, shovels, cups, funnels, and other fun things to the tub. They had a blast! We put a bed sheet under the tub for easy cleanup. One word of caution…just make sure that your kids are old enough to know not to eat the beans or put them up their noses!
Great idea!
That is a great idea. I have used a similar bin as a sand box for over a year now. My 3 year old can play in it for hours on end. I love it because it doesn’t take up much space, the lid keeps it clean, and there are no built in roads, wheels, etc. He uses his imagination and the box can be anything he wants it to be. When we are done with the sand I was thinking of replacing it with another medium, like bird seed. There are endless possibilities.
We aren’t as limited to space as you, so we bought a cheap blow-up kiddie pool. My boys (3 and 1) love it. We try to get out there at least once a day. They play in the pool while I work in the garden.
Another fun idea that would work better for your little guy than for Karis is to use a smaller plastic bin or a plastic wash bin for little ones who can sit up, but not really well. It provides them a little bit more support while they play. I did that a lot when I was a nanny to little ones.
I love this idea! There is no need to purchase an expensive baby pool when a plastic tub works so well!
Great idea. We do something similar with a taller container that our boys splash and play in from the outside.