ENGINEERING - Activities in February

Create a Water Filter
Description: Children will design and construct a simple water filter to explore the concept of water purification. Using materials such as sand, charcoal, and gravel, they will learn how filtration systems help remove impurities from water. The activity will encourage critical thinking and problem-solving as they test and improve their designs to achieve cleaner water.
ICT Tools: Simple apps or educational videos to explain the filtration process; tablets for recording and documenting results through photos, notes, and water clarity assessments.

Instruction 

Materials:

• Plastic bottle (cut in half)

• Sand

• Charcoal (if available)

• Small stones

• Cotton or tissue

• Water for testing

Steps:

1. Bottle preparation: Ask an adult to cut the bottle in half. Keep the top part.

2. Layering: Place cotton at the bottom of the bottle. Then add stones, sand, and charcoal.

3. Assembly: Put the top part of the bottle upside down in the bottom part.

4. Test: Pour some dirty water on the top. Watch how the water goes through the filter.

5. Observation: Check if the water looks cleaner

At the beginning, we will create a sample water filter together using a shared image from Google. Each school will choose one ingredient to add to the image. Later, we will make similar videos and photos in the preschools, and we will add the finished pictures to TwinBoard.

What You Need:

• A plastic bottle (cut in half) - Kadcza/ Poland

• Sand Kindergarten Armenochori, Greece

• Charcoal (if you have it) - 5th Kindergarten of Kalambaka/Greece

• Small stones-Kindergarten Papagiannis, Greece

• Cotton or a tissue    -15th Kindergarten of Kalamaria/Greece

• Dirty water for testing
  Coffee filter, Primary School of Armenochori
  Sponge, Kindergarden Voinicel, Romania

Water filter 

Children will build small bridges that can move using basic engineering principles. The goal is to design a bridge that can open and close (e.g., a drawbridge), learning about balance, force, materials, and construction.

Materials:

• Popsicle sticks

• Rubber bands

• Small wooden or plastic blocks

• String

• Ribbons or paper pieces

• Small motors (optional, if available)

• A board or table to act as the "river" (e.g., a line on the floor or a piece of paper)

Instructions:

1. Introduction to the Task:
   Start by explaining to the children what moving bridges are, like drawbridges (those that open). Tell them their task is to build a bridge that can also open to allow a "ship" (it could be a small toy or vehicle) to pass through.

2. Planning the Design in collaboration:
   Encourage the children to think about how their bridges can move. Show them how rubber bands can be used to make the bridge move or how ribbons might help open the bridge.

3. Building the Bridge:

   1. Give the children popsicle sticks, string, rubber bands, and other materials.

   2. Help them create a bridge that fits their idea. For example, they could make a bridge with two support points (like blocks) that can open using string or rubber bands.

   3. If you have small motors, the children can try to add them to the bridge to make it open automatically.

4. Testing the Bridge:
   Once the bridges are ready, set them over the "river" (e.g., a line on the floor or a piece of paper). Ask the children to check if their bridges can open and close. Can the "ship" (the toy) pass through the bridge?

5. Presentation:
   Each child or group presents their bridge. They explain how it works, how they designed the movement, and what materials they used to build it.

6. Reflection:
   Afterward, ask the children to think about any challenges they faced while building. What worked well, and what could they improve? What parts of the design were difficult and why?