Plumbing skills last a lifetime, and any child can benefit from some basic plumbing knowledge. How old should a student be to start learning the basics of plumbing? According to some educators, the basics can start in preschool. Set children up for early success with these kid-approved lessons using water, pipes, and plumbing materials.
1. Where Does Water Come From?
Get children in the preschool and kindergarten age range interested in plumbing with hands-on activities. Elementary school teachers in Illinois came up with this project to introduce their youngest pupils to pipes. Since these naturally curious youngsters wanted to know where the water in the drinking fountain came from, teachers designed the lesson around the question, “Where does water come from?”
For the first part of the lesson, teachers encouraged children to find all the sources of water at school and count them. Students answered questions such as, “How many toilets does the school have?” “How many sinks does the school have?” Students and teachers found them together as a group. Caregivers can do this with children at home.
2. Meet a Plumber
The Illinois teachers also planned a classroom visit from a local plumber for their young students. In this case, several of the students had plumber fathers who volunteered to visit the class. Students learned what plumbers do by seeing and touching some common plumbing tools.
3. Hands-On Pipe Activities for Young Children
After identifying water sources and meeting a local plumber, the Illinois students learned by experience with hands-on activities with different types and sizes of pipes. They tested objects, such as marbles and small toys, to see which ones would fall through the pipes and which ones would get stuck. Finally, they were encouraged to try making their own water-bringing devices out of pipes, buckets, and water tubs. This activity works well with small groups of children.
4. Make a CPVC Stick Figure
The National Association of Home Builders (NAHB) recommends this activity. Students in first through third grades can learn about fitting pipes together with this hands-on activity using CPVC. Using the NAHM diagram and some plumber’s putty, students can assemble a figure from precut ½”, 2-inch, and 3-inch lengths of pipe, elbows, tees, a union, and caps. With a little imagination, teachers and caregivers could design similar stick figures for their students to assemble from other types of pipe.
5. P-Trap Kits for Older Students
With a little preparation (and carpentry skills), students in the middle grades and up can try their hands at plumbing a sink with PVC parts that screw together. Instructors use lumber to assemble the frame of a small wall with a shelf for holding a sink. Using a metal sink basin with a pre-drilled hole, pre-cut 1 ½” pipe, and a P-trap kit, students use pictures as a guide to putting all of the pieces together. Because none of these pieces need to be glued, instructors can disassemble the parts and reuse them with multiple students.
According to the NAHB, after assembling the sink parts according to the pictures provided, students should make sure water will flow through it. The drain assembly should terminate in a drain bucket after the trap. Students can pour a cup of water into the sink to test that the water ends up in the bucket.
