How to Teach Kids Water Purification
There are many types of water purification methods for kids to learn about, from the natural processes of waterways to how drinking water is cleaned. Teaching water purification comes much easier, and is more fun, if kids can see, feel and taste the process themselves. A quick and simple activity that demonstrates evaporation as one of the water purification techniques can be done with items found around the classroom. This is a great experiment for most any elementary classroom.
Things You'll Need
- Paper
- Crayons
- Large clear bowl
- Plastic wrap
- Large rubber band or tape
- Water
- Food coloring
- Small rock
- Drinking glass
- Salt
- Sun or heat lamp
Instructions
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1
Put water into the bowl, filling it about halfway. Mix food coloring and salt into the water. Make sure the water looks undrinkable, and ask the kids how they think that water looks and tastes.
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2
Give the kids paper and crayons to record their observations. Have them draw the bowl and show the color of the water. For older groups, request that they write a sentence or two about how the water looks and might taste. Have them label the top of the paper "before."
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3
Place the glass in the middle of the bowl. Make sure it is stable and will not move or tip over.
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4
Apply the plastic wrap to the top of the bowl and secure it with a rubber band or tape. It should tight but with some give.
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5
Place the rock on top of the plastic directly above the glass. The rock should cause the plastic to dip and hang over the glass for the water to drip into but not touch the glass.
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6
Set the bowl outside in the sun or under a heat lamp. The heat will turn the water to gas but not the food coloring or salt. When the H2O gas hits the cooler plastic, it will condense and turn back into water, dripping back into the glass. Left behind in the bowl will be the salt and food coloring.
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7
Check the experiment every hour. Once the glass has enough water for the kids to see and taste, take the glass out and show the kids.
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Tips & Warnings
Initially, there will probably be enough water to taste for only one child.
You can leave this experiment running until all of the water is in the drinking glass.
Do not put the bowl too close to the heat lamp because the plastic may melt.
