Wednesday, November 21, 2012

Hardware Store Bath Toys

Are you getting ready to start making some holiday gifts?  We've got a few home made ideas that I would like to share with you.  Here is one that would make a fun gift for a little water and construction lover:










If you can, add some small pvc gutters or other shapes.  The piece on the bottom in that last picture is a plastic bowl in which I drilled a dozen small holes to make a rain shower.

85 comments:

  1. That is a great idea and I loved the very clear directions.I will be giving that a try.
    Thank you.

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  2. That is awesome!
    I cant wait to make something like it.
    Thank you.

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  3. found you on Pinterest..this is an awesome idea. Thanks for sharing it.

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  4. That's such a great idea! I'm definitely hitting my dad up to make some of these for my kids. He'd have fun with that. :)

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  5. Found this through Pinterest. What a fantastic idea, thank you!!!

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  6. I've been wanting to make something similar for my son to use on the wall with marbles or bouncy balls. I'd like to make it so he can move it around and create new paths. I may have to think on this and find a way to make it stick to walls. Maybe tacky, or velcro on a felt covered piece of plywood. You've got my mental wheels turning.

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    1. You could use a piece of metal sheeting (check to see that it's magnetci before you buy!), and then attach magnets to the PVC with a hot glue gun.

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    2. Be careful hot gluing magnets when making it for young kids - if the magnets come off and are swallowed it can be big big trouble. I'd use a plastic or metal sheeting and still use the suction cups to be on the safe side.

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    3. stick the suction cups on white board or your sliding glass door w/supervision!

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    4. Eve, You could use peg board to do this with marbles, balls, beans or whatever else that is a solid. I have several ideas on my pinterest board (Childhood Serendipity user name MrandMrsWhite) that are along the lines of what you are asking about.

      Maiz, you really inspired me with this post that I came to from pinterest. Thank you for sharing such wonderful activities for kids that don't involve high price tags, but more importantly activities that engage a child's mind and helps develop their creativity and scientific reasoning. Thank You!

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    5. Thank you, Grammy White. I greatly appreciate your comment.

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  7. I love this so much and am so excited to make these for my kids! I have been looking for really good bath toys for a long time but they are all so expensive and not really that great. These are just perfect and so easy! I was just thinking I could paint them different colors, too, if I get that ambitious!

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  8. Saw this on Pinterest! What a great idea...definately heading the hardware store this weekend.

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  9. Well that is just pure genious! I've pinned this for now, and I will be doing this! Thanks so much for the idea!!
    Michelle @
    http://sunshineandasummerbreeze.blogspot.com

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  10. PVC is one of the most toxic materials on the planet! Please do not use PVC in children's settings or your home. Check this website for the facts:
    http://www.healthybuilding.net/pvc/facts.html

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    1. I read this fact sheet and it looks like the main dangers lie more in the production byproducts and their effects on the environment than the risk of handling the pvc material itself. I still think that is really important though, so I will try and find an alternative (maybe metal pipe pieces with magnets on the back???) because this looks REALLY FUN for the kids.

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  11. question, is this your child? I know that is an odd question but that kid looks EXACTLY like my son from the side...

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    1. Yes, that's my three year old boy. Your son must be adorable.

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    2. Wow, I was just thinking that could have been my grandson, down to the cowlick on the side. It must be a dominant three-year-old boy thing! Love the idea!!!

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  12. Brillant—thank you for posting this idea. I just made a set of these for my nephew and plan to retrofit one of those net citrus bags with a drawstring to keep them in.

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    1. I'm so glad to hear that you tried it! I also love using those mesh bags for projects. We have some other bath toys hanging in an old onion bag, we've got a soft ball made of them, and sometimes we use them as gift bags, too.

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  13. Found this on Pinterest. This is genius.

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  14. Where did you find your suction cups? We are having trouble finding some that are big enough.

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    1. I got mine at Staples, but I'm sure you could find some online or at any big office supply place. The ones I bought had metal hooks on them that I removed.

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  15. such an adorable and creative idea... but i second the person who was concerned about the use of pvc. it is super toxic and especially so for children whose little bodies are growing (and who have their hands in their mouths all the time). perhaps there is another material you could use instead of pvc to the same effect?

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    1. Take a look in your walls. Your own water supply travels from these same pvc pipes.

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    2. wrong....look in YOUR walls. PVC pipe is used for waste water, it's against building code regulations to use PVC pipe for incoming water. I'm sure if you look closer you'll realize that you water more than likely travels through copper tubing...because PVC is toxic.

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    3. Not sure which state you live in, but PVC in all the states that I have worked in, OK only 3, PVC for water plumbing is not against building codes.

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  16. Realistically, isn't the water coming into the bathtub travelling through pvc pipe? And, you're automatically washing your hands by playing in it! Get over it, we'd all be dead if it were that toxic. Think about all those live plumbers out there wandering around!

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    1. I think the plumbing pipes are ABS, which are supposed to be safe. Legos are ABS as well.

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  17. I went to the Hardware store but couldn't find the suction cups. What department did you find them in? I love this idea, and so does my 3 year old! he has been asking me to make him this since he saw it. :)

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  18. I just got the supplies for this and tried to make it... I found suction cups in the hardware section at Home Depot and at Target (bought both to have different sizes). I bought the 3/4 inch PVC because it's small and cute and cheap.

    The issue I'm running into is that the suction cup pops out of the pvc when I pull it from the bathtub. I guess maybe I'm drilling the hole slightly too big? It seems like it will be hard to shove the "nub" through if it's any smaller, but if you're don't come out then you must have found the right balance... Any thoughts?

    I bought bath bubbles and a carrying case in order to fill out the gift - for my nephews!

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    1. I bet a slightly smaller drill bit would do the trick for you. It did take some effort to get mine through the holes, but they've stayed in and my boys pull them pretty hard to get them off the wall!

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  19. Putting the suction cups in was certainly the hard part of this! My poor hubby cut himself a couple times, then drilled the holes a little wider & seemed to get it.
    My tip for drilling the holes in the first place is to be careful not to get the frill going too fast. It takes quite a while to get the holes started, but once they get going it doesn't take much & if you have the bit going to fast it creates enough friction to melt the plastic a little & then it sticks to the bit & gums up the whole works.
    We managed it though & are giving some of these to our daughter for her birthday. :)
    I also got some funnels at the Dollar Tree, where they also had some suction cups with plastic hooks that fit perfectly in the holes already in the side of the funnels. I got a sieve drain cover and put two of the plastic hook suction cups in the side of it, too.

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  20. My understanding is that PVC is toxic if it's heated up enough to release toxic gases. I've done this when trying to soften some 4 inch PVC to make a certain turn in my pond drain. I can tell you for sure that it really stinks bad when it burns. If you're careful, and patient, to simply soften it (not burn), you can get some interesting shapes out of the pipe by softening over a regular kitchen gas stove (not that I'm recommending it, due to health reasons). Pipe may get hot after heating... LOL, but I'm not kidding! I was wearing welding gloves.

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  21. Saw this on Pinterest! What a great idea...definately heading the hardware store this weekend.

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  22. In order for the water to get to the bath tub in the first place, it travels through hundreds (if not thousands) of feet of PVC Pipe. Toxic!!!!!

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    1. Wrong! ...read above comments.

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    2. Above comments are incorrect, PVC piping is safe.

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  23. great idea! My boys will enjoy this.

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  24. this such a fabulously fun idea!! thanks for sharing!!

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  25. Thanks for sharing on All for the Boys. A great post - bought the supplies today!

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  26. While I love this idea, be careful not to place the fittings so high that your child would try to stand in the tub. Yikes!

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  27. Thank you, my son will love this...

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  28. Great idea! Thank you! My nephew who is 2 will love it, as poring is so funny for that age and stage of development.

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  30. Gonna give this a try for my 6yr old Grandson, whom I'm raising. This could be used with balls, dinkies, marbles ... anything that a 6yr old enjoys playing with that's small. Keeping the pipes far apart and trying to make the toy go from one pipe to another would be a challenge he would enjoy. Thanks for the idea!

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  31. I saw that one of my readers put the pipes on her window. She put some big tubs underneath and had her kids pour beans through them. Fun!

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  32. WOW, this is awesome. Going to try this for our grandkids, they will love it!Thanks

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  33. Pretty cool idea! My 3 year old will love it!

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  34. This is one of the best ideas I've ever seen! I have a 2 year old little boy that is going to LOVE having these to play with. Thank you!!

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  35. Great idea! I'd love for you to join the Pinworthy Projects party! http://www.atkinsondrive.com/pinworthy-projects-link-party-12/

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  36. Awesome. Thank you for this idea!

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  38. Hi, everybody! I just removed some comments because I found them to be too unfriendly and insulting for this forum. I welcome your suggestions and ideas and also your opinions and information, so if you have something important to say to the other readers, please re-post, but keep it friendly!

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    1. Good idea... hide the flaws of your design and dangers of what your promoting for the sake of upping your "crafty" image . Rather than removing the insightful comments of concerned people in the child product development industry who took time to help you see the flaws in your idea, you hide them away. Perhaps you should have added your own note, explaining that your original idea might not be the best idea, and might in fact expose your readers' children to dangerous chemicals and toxins that are strictly regulated by the Consumer Product Safety Commission. Here's there website in case you want to do a little research next time before running to Home Depot and making your own bath toys. http://www.cpsc.gov/

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    2. I did go to that site and look at the research - everything it talks about PVC is in soft toys that children would put in their mouths - nothing about piping. and even then all the requests have been denied.

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  39. Thank you for this creative idea, i will try to make this one :) i know kids will like this,good job!

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  40. WOW! This is awesome and what a simple idea! Will get the hubby on to making this asap. Cheers, Josie :)

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  41. This is amazing! I can hardly get my son out of the tub already-- with this he may turn into a fish! These supplies are so simple. I'll stop at the hardware store today and get started on these for his birthday. Thanks!

    Jenn | http://www.westernstateshardware.com

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  42. This is a brilliant idea! I love that you can make toys that the kids will literally love more than something superficial you buy from the store. I need to find a hardware store near me, and that might be a difficult task. How much did the pvc cost at the hardware store?
    Mark Leach | http://mcfaddendalehardwarelv.com./

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  43. This is such a cool idea! It's like having a miniature water park in your bathroom. I am going to have to try this sometime. Did you come up with this idea on your own?

    http://siweklumber.com/builders-hardware/

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  44. PVC piping is safe and is used in drinking water transportation across North America.
    http://www.uni-bell.org/health_benefits.html

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  45. Someone above said to research how bad PVC is at the CPSC website. Obviously they didn't do it themselves because the CPSC says it's safe. http://www.cpsc.gov/en/Search/?query=pvc&filters=all

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  46. Where did you get the suction cups? brand name??

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  47. This idea literally has helped me to have an epiphany about how to respond lovingly to toddlers and the stages they go through. My daughter is going through a pouring stage so this often means puddles of water end up in random places in my house. During bath time she loves to throw water outside of the bathtub. This is the perfect outlet to fulfill those sensory needs. She would often get in trouble for this activity because it is a messy habit to say the least but you have inspired me to find outlets to her behaviors instead of disciplining her for a basic sensory need that she needs fulfilled. you have truly opened my eyes and I cant wait to share this with dad as well. I am sure he will love it as he hated stepping in puddles of water in the bathroom during bathtime. Thank you.

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  48. isn't it kind of stupid to encourage a child (in a tub of soapy water) to STAND UP and pour water into PVC tubes that have likely not been cut in a safe fashion just to see gravity work?

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