Dykes and hardware stores seem to go together like, well, dykes and softball.* I therefore thought I’d start a new weekly series for us lesbian moms on kids’ toys you can buy or make based on simple items from the hardware store. (*Yes, I know I’m overgeneralizing. Personally, I’m not at all fond of softball and find my preschooler’s plastic tee ball a challenge.)
This first installment will show you how to create a cheap but fun construction set out of PVC pipes. It’s a wonderful toy because it can turn into anything your child can imagine. My partner made one for our son as a holiday gift, and he builds everything from musical instruments (think Blue Man Group) to spaceship controls. (The usual cautions about small children and stick-like objects apply.)
You’ll need:
- A 10′ length of 3/4″ PVC pipe. Cost: About $2.00.
- PVC connectors for 3/4″ pipe: an assortment of straight connectors, elbows, and Ts. Get at least one connector for every length of pipe cut. (See first step below.) Cost: About $0.25 each.
A mitre box and mitre saw (backsaw). (You could also use a bench vise and saw.)- Tape measure or ruler.
- Medium sandpaper.
- (Optional) Several colors of electrical tape.
Here’s what to do:
Determine the lengths of pipe you want. It works best if you have several groups of pipes, each of the same length. Try four 12″ pipes, six 8″ pipes, and six 4″ pipes.- Measure the first length and mark with a piece of tape, a small scratch, or a permanent marker.
- Secure pipe in mitre box.
- Cut the length.
Cut the remaining pipes of the first length. (You can mark the pipe, or just use the first cut piece as a guide.) Measure the next length and repeat until all the pipe is cut.- Sand ends of pipe to remove rough edges.
- Optionally, put bands of electrical tape around each pipe, using a different color for each length.
I think that this is a fantastic do-it-yourself project that most every kid would enjoy. Thanks for the great tip!
Cool. I go to hardware stores and drool too, and I’m not even a dyke. :)
Reminds me of a set I saw this weekend at the Atlanta Children’s Museum.
Your project brings back such wonderful memories. Thanks so much!
If (and only absolutely if) your kids are absolutely old enough to not put small things in their mouths, running marbles through PVC pipe lengths is loads of fun. When I was little, my dad had several lengths of PVC pipe, and when he cut them for the project he was working on, I played with the pipes and ran marbles through them for a day or two. I still remember the sound the marbles made as the zipped down the tubes. It was awesome!
Make this project even easier: buy a “PVC pipe cutter.” Think vice-grips-meets-garden-sheers. I got mine at Home Depot when I was buying supplies to construct jumps for agility training with my dog. I had no idea these things even existed. I asked a store associate about the best way to cut the pipes (I am not Handy-Ann) and he demo’d it for me right in the isle. Worth every penny.
I’m thinking it might also be fun to spray-paint the lengths. Bright colors could be fun… or colors to match the living room. Hmmm…
Another thing to do would be to cut your small pieces (say 4 inches) then using a connector, put 2 of those together and use that for the size of you next length. And so on. That way you can stack things together and have the same length at the ends.
For those of us who are not so handy with tools, Quercetti makes some similar toys, Tubation and Saxoflute.
I think this is so cool!I made a green house out of two long pvc pipes and a cross bar of the same for stability.Then,I secured them to the ground with three ft. lengths of rebar sunk 1 and 1/2 deep.Threw plastic on top.It looks like a covered wagon.
Thank you thank you! I’ve been searching for a construction set for my daughter for weeks, and nothing seemed all that exciting. Everything was either too expensive, too breakable, or had tiny marbles our baby would undoubtedly swallow. But THIS! THIS IS PERFECT! My daughter was really intent on “helping” me when i was creating the frame for a giant playpen out of PVC, but this just never occured to me…
Thank you for creating & sharing.
It’s like giant K’Nex! Super awesome. I had PVC Pipes and fittings to play with when I was a kid, and my son will too once he’s old enough.