While it would be nice to think that cleaning water is an easy task to do, it can actually take a number of steps to get it clean. Your children will have a better understanding of cleaning water after completing these water pollution experiments.
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Before starting this experiment, you may want to read your children a book about pollution. The book Merhorses and Bubbles would be a great book to share with them. Below you will find that book and several other books that have a water theme.
Water Pollution Experiments
Removing Objects That You Can See
Before your children clean up a tub of water, they are going to need to pollute it with objects.
Here are some objects that you can place in the tub of water:
- Plastic wrappers
- Empty containers
- Plastic lids or caps
- Strips of Paper
- Dirt
- Straws
- 1 Tablespoon of Oil
Next, you will give your children some tools for cleaning up the polluted tub. If you have tongs, a strainer, or colander, they would be great tools for the clean up.
You will also need a container or bag to put the trash into. We used a large plastic container for ours.
Hint: Some children will want to wear rubber gloves to pick up the objects. That is just fine.
After all the objects have been picked out the tub, your children may think that the water is clean. The second of the water pollution experiments will help them see that it is still dirty. Looks like you will need to do another experiment to clean the water.
Filtering Water
If you have a coffee filter funnel or basket, they can hold the filer over the container or set it on top of it.
Then have your children pour the water you used in the first experiment into a pitcher or container. They will next pour water through the filter.Take a moment to have your children share what they see in the filter and in the water.
Next, remove the filter and pour the water back into the pitcher or container. After you replace the first filter with a new one and pour the water through it. They may notice that there are still small items in the second filter. You will want to take time to talk about the color of the water that drains into the container.
Finally, try filtering the water through the funnel with more than one filter. Your children will probably think more than one filter will make the remaining water very clear. We found it was still tan in color.
Discussion
While it was fun to pull the objects out of the water and pour water through the filters, there is something important you will want to discuss. You will want your children to understand that the water just looks cleaner. There may still be things in the water.
Water pollution is much easier to create then it is to clean up. Water treatment plants may have a number of steps they need to take to make water clean.
If you like these water pollution experiments, here some more Earth Day activities you will enjoy.
Recycling Bin Counting Activity
