Outdoors · Water play

Gutter boat races

Prop up a length of rain gutter, fill it with water and race homemade boats from one end to the other.

  • Ages 3–10best for 4–8
  • 30–60 minabout 20 mins of prep
  • Prepare days aheadplan below
  • Under $20about $15
  • Backyardon a hot day
  • Some helpmedium mess

Plan it

Good planning makes a good day. Tick things off as you go.

1Days before

2On the day

0 of 2 done ·

You'll need

From home

  • Garden hose
  • two chairs
  • corks
  • foil
  • paddle-pop sticks
  • sponges
  • straws

To buy

  • A length of rain gutter with end caps (hardware store)
🪄 Wizard's tip

Run it as a series of heats with a 'grand final'. Kids love a tournament, and it stretches 15 minutes of fun into an hour.

How to do it

  1. Set the gutter level on two chairs and cap the ends.
  2. Fill with water.
  3. Build or pick a boat each.
  4. Race them by blowing through a straw.
  5. Tweak designs and race again.

Younger kids: Race corks, rubber ducks and leaves instead of homemade boats.

Older kids: Build boats from foil, corks and sponges, then test which design is fastest when they blow it along.

⚠ Safety Stay within arm's reach of under-5s around any water, even a bucket. Empty buckets and paddling pools straight after play.

Builds Problem-solvingCuriosity & science thinkingResilience

Clean-up 10 minutes: tip the water on the garden.

Make it a bigger day Make it part of backyard water Olympics.

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Gutter boat races