Engineering play and sand sensory play all in one easy to set up STEM challenge! We came up with this awesome, easy engineering play idea using pieces of pvc pipes, sand and water! How simple and fun this is, but it incorporates great engineering play for early learning! STEM can be for young kids! Check out more awesome outdoor engineering projects for our 31 Days of Outdoor STEM series. Week 2 is all about engineering projects outdoors!

SIMPLE ENGINEERING PLAY IN THE SANDBOX

Learn more about STEM with our What is STEM? article. STEM can start as early as your child is interested with very simple and playful activities like this one! Our 31 days of STEM Outdoors is a week by week theme for outdoor learning. Week 1 was science! Now, we are kicking off week 2 with engineering ideas! Check out our simple stick fort building idea too.

ENGINEERING PLAY WITH A BIN OF SAND OR A SANDBOX

We took our engineering play and sensory play challenge outside for our 31 Days of Outdoor STEM week 2 challenge. It was a warm sunny day! I filled our large, portable sensory bin with regular sandbox sand. I imagine he would grab his trucks, but what happened next was truly the fun part. We have had PVC pipes on the deck rails as a water wall for our stress free backyard play series, but he requested they be removed so he could put them in the sand bin as “water pipes for the road”. Early learning engineering play!

ENGINEERING PLAY STEM CHALLENGE

Of course sand is an awesome sensory filler but this time the filler took second stage to the manipulation of the pvc pipes and all the engineering play he could discover with them. Obviously a bucket of water was needed. I simply sat nearby and helped him gather what he needed. Occasionally I helped him work through a problem. This simple engineering activity is an amazing opportunity for young children. PVC pipes and fitting can be bought inexpensively from your hardware store.

Simple engineering play investigating the pvc pipes and digging holes for the road!

What else can you do with PVC pipes? Check out this house idea and pulley idea we built with these pipes.

Testing the pipes and filling them with water! Learn how water flows.

Multiple pipelines installed, waterways working and a happy little engineer! Kids can create there own challenges and problems to solve in a variety of ways with this simple engineering STEM activity