Create your own rain

My kids are dying for it to be summer and DYING for some water to dip themselves in.  And although we have had some unusually hot days lately, I am not quite ready to bust out the pool, but, I admit, I do have a hankerin' to get some water out to play in.  My kids love the sprinklers but ever since my 6 year old has learned to ride a 2-wheeler and my 4 year old got  a "big boy" bike, they want to combine their favorite summer loves.  And as one who loves a nice yard,  I am not ready to turn my sprinklers on and have the kids ride their bike on my green lawn.  So, I had to come up with something different.

Not only does this odd looking contraption save my lawn from becoming the next big raceway, but it also helps with water conservation as only a little bit comes out at a time as opposed to the sprinklers which tend to put out far more water than is actually needed.

My little guy has given this a name already.  It's known as the "Bike Wash" instead of a car wash.

It couldn't have been easier to build.  I had some old PVC pipe sitting around that we never got rid of, as well as some other sprinkler parts left over from my past landscaping jobs. 

I cut the PVC pipe into 2 equal lengths for the tall sides, cut one to go along the top like a cross bar, and 4 smaller pieces to use as support and balance for this thing.  I was going to glue them all together, but didn't after considering storage.  Just connecting them tightly worked out just fine.

You'll need a small drill bit to make several small holes all along the top cross bar.  How many you make is up to you.

As for the support/balance pipes, you will need to cap off 3 of the 4 ends....and on the 4th end, put on a piece that will allow you to connect a hose to this thing.

Turn it on ....... and VOILA!!! There you have it.  Your own, controllable rain.

I stuck in on my driveway and the kids just went right to town riding through the water and screaming as the water trickled down their backs.

Oh how I love summer!!