Hey there! What’s new in your pandemic pandemonium world? Looking for more ways to entertain your kids outside?

Today we’re sharing a five minute project that’s relatively cheap, easy, and sure to be a hit all summer long. A water bucket! 

I got this idea from another mom. She was filling an old plastic beverage dispenser with water and letting her kids play with it outside. It’s a great idea!

KIDS LOVE WATER. At least mine do. Give them a bit of water and they will come up with all sorts of games, activities, and make-believe play. My boys have spent the past couple of weeks running inside to fill up their squirt guns or turning on the hose and spraying everything in sight. It kept them busy, but it wasn’t ideal.

I love the dispenser with a spout idea because it eliminates the trail of drips in the house, and they’re aren’t wasting as much water as when they’re squirting the hose.

If you have an old drink dispenser, use it! I didn’t and I wanted something a bit more industrial for my crazy boys. At first I was looking into 5 gallon drink dispensers, thinking that we could also use it when we actually need to take potable water somewhere. But realizing that they are likely to get this thing pretty dirty, I wanted something dedicated specifically to kid outdoor play.

If you don’t want to do the work, you can buy five gallon buckets with the spout installed, but that’s a more expensive option than doing it yourself. If you have a bucket and the necessary tools, this project will cost you less than $3! And just a little bit more if you have to pick up a bucket.

Materials

• five gallon bucket
• plastic spigots (this is a 2-pack)
• 1 inch hole drill bit (I used something like this, but if you have another type of drill bit that will do the job, use it.)
• hacksaw, optional

Tips & Tricks

• When I talked to the guy at the hardware store about this project. His advice was this: don’t drill too slow that the bucket catches and wants to spin. Don’t drill too fast that the plastic melts. Drill just right.
• When picking a spot for your hole, make sure that the end of the spigot doesn’t end below the bottom of the bucket. If it does, you won’t be able to sit the bucket on the ground without ruining the spigot.
• If you’d like, you can shorten the length of your spigot with a hacksaw. I cut about a 1/2 to 3/4 of an inch off of ours. That just allows you to place the spigot slightly lower on the bucket, so you can get the most water out before having to refill.
• Drill your hole, place a washer on each side of the hole, pass your spigot through and screw on the inner piece. It’s so stinking easy.

With this bucket, your kids will have enough water to refill squirt guns and water balloons for hours. And busy happy kids make for a wonderful day of pandemonium. xo