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Plastic sheets for a water slide

Programme proposal for summer

Plastic sheets for a water slide
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During the hot months, June and July (depending on which side of the planet you live) the water slide is one of the most popular activities on each camp. All you need is a suitable hill and enough water to keep the slide wet at all times.

However, there are also dangers associated with the water slide. I will talk about them at the end of this article to help you minimize or even completely eliminate those hazards.

The following material is required for the plastic sheet slide:

Plastic sheets for a water slide
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sturdy plastic sheets or tarpaulins as used to cover silos on farms, length about 10, 20 or 30 meters, 1-2 meters wide.
Water pump to keep the sheets wet (power cord, pump, long hose)
possibly some soft soap to increase the speed (depending on slope)

That’s what the site should look like:

Ideal is a slight lawn slope, the steeper the slope, the faster and more dangerous the slide. A mountain slope is too steep here. Rather choose a small grassy hill with a vertical drop of 2 meters over 20-30 meters.
Make sure there are no stones or sharp-edged bumps (wood, lumps of earth, etc.) under the sheets.
flat slowing-down area the end of the slide without any further drop.

Safety rules:

Keep a safe distance while on the slide.
Only one person slides down at any given time.
The next only starts when nobody is on the slide anymore and also has left the landing area.
No one crosses the path. That means walking up to the top of the slide, you can walk only at the left or right side of the sheets.

Plastic sheets for a water slide
©: www.youthwork-practice.com

These are the risks you could encounter with this activity:

As you could see already, in this activity there are several things you have to look out for and pay attention to. Stones and unevenness of the plastic sheets can lead to injuries on the slide. You could “rupture your butt” so to speak.

A too short slowing-down area could mean that the child does not stop fast enough, or respectively, can’t leave the slide fast enough and the next person bumps into him.

When running back up to the top of the slide no one is allowed to cross the slide to avoid a crash. – The one sliding down can’t stop and the one who falls might break a bone.

Equally, if there is not enough time between the kids sliding down, you could get into troubles in the run-out area.

The steeper the path, the higher the speed of the slide and the higher the potential risk for accidents (Abrasions, bruises, fractures, ...). Previously to the event, the track must be tested by a responsible youth worker. If in doubt, do not put any soap on the track.

However, this all might sound more dangerous as it is. But I have to say, I did received letters, where there were injuries and the waterslide event was considered too dangerous for kids. I think everyone should try, see and decide for themselves if the slide on the existing terrain is too dangerous. Because it always depends on the circumstances, how disciplined the kids are and how responsibly and foreseeing the supervising youth workers are. And intervene whenever necessary.