The Pipe Story

Last night while Sarah was getting Elsie and Owen’s bath started Elsie asked her "what's that?" and she pointed to the drain pipe under the sink in the bathroom. Sarah started explaining about what pipes do and how the carry water in and out and whatnot. Then I came in and Elsie was still curious so I showed her how the hot water and cold water comes in and the drainpipe takes water out to the sewer. We talked all during bath time about how you potty and the water gets taken out of the house, when you drain the bath it leaves the house, when you wash your hands, etc. We talked and talked about it and when we were done Elsie said, "Can you tell me about pipes again?" I said, "We have a book that we can read about pipes before bed if you want," and she thought that was a great idea.

So before bed we went into our bedroom and Elsie and I flipped through the "How Things Work In Your Home" book that we have. We got to one page that showed an entire plumbing diagram for a home so we studied it and followed all the plumbing throughout the house. We looked at the dishwasher, washer and dryer, showers, sinks, toilets, and the hot water heater and how all of that stuff works together to provide water for different places in the house. Then I explained how it all drained and everything. The hot water was blue, the cold water was green, and the drains were black. I asked Elsie if she was following and she said, "Yes!" Then Sarah came in after Owen was asleep and I asked Elsie to show Mommy where the hot water comes from and Elsie pointed right to the hot water heater on the diagram. And then Elsie said, "Can you tell me about the pipes again?"

We kept going through the book and we found a diagram of how a toilet works and I explained it to her and she seemed fascinated. So I said, "Want to see a real life example?" And I took her in the bathroom and took the cover off the toilet and let her watch how everything works when you flush it. She watched with total concentration, but then got a little scared when it started filling. I think she learned something though. Then I said, "OK, it's time for bed, let's go in your room and read a book." So we went in and she looked at me and said, "Daddy, I'm tired of kid’s books."

I guess we'll have to get her some home improvement books to read.  :)

Ryan