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Water
QCA Unit 11

Activities for home - Cleaning water

Rivers and lakes supply us with most of the water we need for drinking, cooking, washing and cleaning. Before we use river or lake water it has to be cleaned. Make this water filter that will clean dirty water.

You will need......

  1. A large clear plastic bottle

  2. Two clear jars or beakers

  3. Cotton wool

  4. Clean, washed sand

  5. Clean, washed gravel

  6. Paper towels

  7. Garden soil

  8. An old spoon

 

Try this...

  1. Carefully cut the bottom off the bottle.

  2. Turn the bottle upside down and plug the neck with cotton wool.

  3. Put a thick layer of clean, washed gravel on top of the cotton wool.

  4. Put a thick layer of clean, washed sand on top of the gravel.

  5. Cut out a circle of paper towel and lay it on top of the sand.

  6. Stand your filter on top of a clean jar or beaker.

  7. Mix two or three spoonfuls of garden soil with some water in the other jar or beaker and stir it thoroughly. Slowly pour this muddy water onto the disc of paper towel in your filter.

  8. Describe the water that comes out of your filter.

 Making a water filter

Remember: Because water is clear it is not necessarily clean. Why is the water you have filtered not clean enough to drink?