Teach children about water filtration while having fun

Life is a Garden has put together an engaging water filtration experiment for the whole family. Get your children involved and teach them about water pollution and how to get clean water. Living in a drought-stricken country, water is a very precious resource. Sadly, many South African’s do not have access to clean water. Teaching children about the importance of water in agriculture is an essential aspect of education and will help youngsters understand how critical H2O is for a healthy environment. This fun science experiment teaches children about the importance of clean drinking water. It also demonstrates the process of how to clean dirty or polluted water using a natural filtration system. You can make a water filter using recycled materials found at home. This water experiment is appropriate for children aged 10-years and older and can be used during science class or as a hands-on educational experiment at home. You will need the following supplies

• Two glass jars.
• Fine, clean sand.
• Gravel or small stones.
• Rocks.
• Coffee filters, cotton balls or a small cloth.
• Activated charcoal.
• Clear plastic bottle.
• Dirty water.
• Scissors or a knife.

 Instructions

1. Cut an old plastic soda or juice bottle in half using scissors or a knife.
2. Place the bottle upside down into the glass jar.
3. Place cotton balls, cloth or a coffee filter inside the bottle as the first layer. The first layer should be about two to three centimetres thick.
4. Add three to five centimetres of activated charcoal as the second layer, on top of the cotton layer.
5. Over the charcoal, add about three centimetres of fine sand as the third layer.
6. Add about three to four centimetres of gravel or small stones on top of the fine sand.
7. Add the rocks to the bottle as the final layer.
8. Add dirt to a glass of water to create muddy water. You can also get creative by adding other materials, such as glitter, beads, cooking oil or other materials to make dirty water.
9. Pour the glass of muddy/ dirty water inside the homemade water filter and watch the water drip clean into the glass below.
10. Once the water has dripped through the filter, pour the water back into the glass – you can now make a hypothesis or prediction about the experiment.

Water filters reduce the concentration of contaminants such as suspended particles, parasites, bacteria, algae, viruses, and fungi. They remove particles and impurities from water. Each layer of the homemade water filter has a purpose:

• The small stones are used to filter out large sediments, like leaves or insects, whereas the sand is used to remove fine impurities.
• Finally, the activated charcoal removes contaminants and pollutants through chemical absorption. In nature, water is purified and filtered through sand, soil, gravel, and even beneficial bacteria.

Try different types of material in this experiment and have fun learning about water filtration. For more fun DIY projects, visit www.lifeisagarden.co.za.   DID YOU KNOW? Click on the words highlighted in red to read more on this and related topics. To receive news links via WhatsApp or Telegram, send an invite to 061 694 6047 The South Coast Sun is also on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram– why not join us there? Do you have more information pertaining to this story? Feel free to let us know by commenting on our Facebook page or you can contact our newsroom on 031 903 2341 and speak to a journalist. (Comments posted on this issue may be used for publication in the Sun)