You will need:
- Three plastic cups
- Two water bottles (to run two different versions
- Scissors
- A rubber band
- Old stocking material (or kitchen cleaning wipe)
- Sand and gravel with materials of different sizes
- Water and dirt
- Optional cardboard cutter (adult use only)
Make a cup of dirty water and set it to one side.
Cut each water bottle in half. You can either use the cardboard cutter to make a small cut or alternatively pinch the plastic bottle and then use the scissors to cut the bottle.
Using the rubber band, tie a piece of cut stocking or kitchen wipe onto the opening of the water bottles. Make this fairly strong as it will need to hold the weight of the sand and gravel.
In one water bottle add sand first and then gravel, in the other bottle put the gravel in first and then the sand. The idea is to see if the order of filtering materials makes a difference to how well the water is filtered… all about variable testing!
Balance each of the two bottles upside-down in the remaining cups. Pour the dirty water into each water bottle and see how well the dirty water gets filtered!
Also, try measuring the pH before and after the water filter experiment… did it make any difference?
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- How can we separate mixtures?
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Why Does This Happen?
You have created a simple water filter! The sand and gravel particles act as a sieve, trapping larger material from filtering down with the water as it travels downwards. Filtering such as this occurs in the natural environment as well. There are many communities that rely on underground aquifers which have accumulated over millions of years as water has filtered through the soil to the bedrock.
A classic example of an underground aquifer is Australia’s Great Artesian Basin which covers much of Queensland and South Australia with extensions into the Northern Territory and NSW.
You can create a simple model of soil horizons that produce these natural water filters by alternating different sands and gravel in a clear container.
Variables to test
- Try different size sieve meshes by changing the dishcloth type
- What happens if you change the size of the sand and gravel grains?
From surface tension to the water cycle, we’ve got you covered for your next water unit!
Get in touch with FizzicsEd to find out how we can work with your class.
Working with Water
Years K to 2
Maximum 30 students
School workshop (NSW & VIC)
60 or 90 minutes
Online Class Available
STEM Full Day Accelerator - Primary
Designed from real classroom experiences, this modular day helps you create consistently effective science learning that directly address the new curriculum with easily accessible and cost-effective materials.
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