Water Filtration Activities for Schools
Water filtration is the act of changing dirty water into clean, drinkable water. Water filtration activities for the classroom can demonstrate the techniques associated with cleaning water with a few basic items. The experiments can lead to discussions regarding water processing plants and surviving in nature.
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Two-Liter Bottle
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Cut a two-liter bottle in half. Turn the top portion upside down and fill it with cotton, sand and gravel. Place the top portion of the bottle upside down into the lower half. Pour dirty water through the filter. Have the students examine the filter and the water that has come through the filter. Ask which ingredient filtering agent removed debris from the water. If the filtering agents were changed, which should be in the greatest amount? Have them experiment with different amounts of filtering agents and see which combination of filtering agents results in the cleanest water.
Salt Water Tests
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Repeat the above experiment but add salt to the water that is to be filtered. Have the students retest the above scenario and find out which combination removes the most salt. To determine if the water is more or less salty, there can be independent taste tests or create a tester using electricity.
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Survival Experiment
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Have the students create their own filters using materials that you provide to them. This works best if the students have already seen or tested filters previously. The materials to use should be slightly different than what was tested before for students to work on problem solving skills. Use cheesecloth, mesh netting, rubber bands, gravel, sand and other materials. Test which filter cleans the water the best.
Create a Water Filtration Plant
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In this experiment you want to create water that is not only dirty but also has a smell. You can add elements like vinegar or other safe materials that give off a distinctive odor. Create two plastic bottle filters as described in Section 1. Have the students make observations as the water is passed from one filter to the next. They should be making observations on color (turbidity), odor and amount of sediments. Run the water through the filter many times. Additives can be placed in the water to make the particles coagulate using aluminum crystals. Discuss the entire process at the water filtration plant and how it relates to this experiment.
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References
- Photo Credit water bottle image by Radu Razvan from Fotolia.com
