Reuniting Kids w/ Nature – Water Filters

This simple water filter activity can be used for a variety of teaching experiences and allows kids to get their hands in the dirt 🙂

MATERIALS:

A 2-liter bottle, sand (fine grain and large grain), gravel, cotton batting, a coffee filter or an old sock, scissors or a utility knife, a large cup, water.  Note that a lot of DIY filters call for the use of charcoal, which is optional, but not used for the purposes of this activity.

TIME FRAME:

15 – 60 minutes

PROCEDURE:

  1. Cut around the bottom of your 2-liter bottle using  your scissors or knife to remove the bottom 2-3 inches from your bottle
  2. Turn the bottle upside down and remove the cap.  Add a layer of cotton batting along the end of the bottle closest to the mouth of the bottle, (now the bottom of your filter). The layer should be 1-2 inches thick.
  3. Begin layering the sand and gravel on top of the batting (fine sand, then larger grain sand, then bigger gravel), making each layer about 1 inch thick. Continue the pattern until the bottle is 2/3 full.
  4. Place your coffee filter on top of your final layer
  5. Grab a handful of dirt from outside and put it into a cup of water.  Stir it up, then slowly pour your dirty water into your filter, holding your filter over another cup or a bowl so you can see how clear the water is.

REFLECTION:

What other materials could you use to make your filter?  Who filters the water you drink at home? When might it be handy to know how to filter your own water?

CONNECTIONS:

Did you know that, if you have access to clean drinking water, you are luckier than 780 million people on our planet!

TIDBITS:

Clean water is essential to our survival as humans!  Did you know that our brains are 95% water, our blood is 82% water and our lungs are 90% water?  Wow!

TIPS & IMAGININGS:

If you do this project after you have completed the SOIL activity, experiment using your separated materials for the various layers of sand and gravel and see what happens.

 
xoxo,
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Written by Melissa @ Ever Growing Farm

9 Comments

  1. wsofteners

    hey
    this is very lovely blog post and such a amazing post.and his contain is very interesting and informative post.

  2. Robert Walsch

    Thanks for a very detailed post.. I was looking for something like this about water softeners, anyway it’s a good thing I found your site. Thanks!

    1. Bee Girl

      Thanks for the invite, Lisa! I’ve been meaning to check out your newest Link Up, it just keeps escaping me! Thanks for the push 😉

  5. michaelsad

    This is some great info. Especially since you can usually find all of these material while in the wilderness, even the bottle. Although I like to travel with a water filter of my own, it’s always good to know little things like this could save your life if your water filter fails.

    1. Bee Girl

      You speak the (unfortunate) truth about the level of trash that can be found in the wilderness. It’s a shame the level of disrespect and apathy that is shown to our natural world these days. Thanks for being aware and for stopping by 🙂

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