Water Filter Challenge

Activity Type

Challenge

Description

The wilderness doesn’t have the luxury of tap or bottled water. Find out what needs to happen to filter water from a creek to become safe to drink.

What you need:

2 clear plastic cups

Scissors

Pail, jar, jug or container to hold water

Water

Supplies to make the water dirty such as food colouring, glitter, small rocks, cooking oil, or small pieces of paper

Supplies to make dirty water

Supplies for building the filter. You do not need all the supplies listed here. Find supplies you think would make a good filter. Examples may include:

• paper towels

• gravel

• sand

• rocks

• coffee filters

• cotton balls

• wool or yarn

• scrap fabric or fibers

Supplies for building the filter

What you do:

1. Make some dirty water. Since we are only building test filters, you need to start by making some water you can use to test your filter.

• In a pail, jug or jar, add water.

• To that pail of water add something to make it dirty such as food colouring, glitter, small rocks, cooking oil or small pieces of paper.

• Mix together

Consider this:

What are some things that might make water dirty? Can all things be filtered out of water?

The dirty water we created - don’t drink it!

2. Make the water filter:

Can you make a filter that will clean the dirty water you just made?

• Cut one small hole in the bottom of one of the cups. That will be the cup where you build your water filter.

• Choose up to 3 or 4 materials to create the filter. You want to be able to filter out everything from the water to make it clean.

• You may want to try making your filter using supplies such as cotton balls, sand and yarn. Layer each material separately in the cup with the hole in the bottom.

Our completed filter

Consider this:

• Does it matter in what order that the materials are stacked?

• Will the filter materials make the water dirty?

• Will everything you put into the water get removed from the water by the filter?

3. Test the water filter:

• Pour the dirty water through the test filter you just made. Be sure to have the other clear plastic cup under it to catch the water.

• What does the filtered water look like?

• Does it look clean?

• Are any of the “dirty” particles left in the water?

• What about the food colouring?

• Do you think there might be things in the water you cannot see?

Filtered water

4. Inspect the filter

• Take the filter apart and look at the different layers.

o Can you determine which layer filtered some of the participles?

o Can you tell what each material removed from the water?

o How can you modify your filter to improve it?

Inspecting our filter

Parent tips:

• Explore the uses of water filters in the real-world settings. Encourage further exploration into the topic of wilderness survival. As well as the importance of available fresh water.

• Encourage curiosity and messiness. Try making water filters outside to avoid indoor messes.

• Allow for retesting and trying again. Find other materials to test, explore, and investigate.

Explanation:

Water is made up of very small particles called molecules. Each water molecule is made of two hydrogen atoms and one oxygen atom. That's why water is called H2O. When water is first poured into the filter, some of the water molecules stick to the gravel, sand, and cotton, making them wet. Once the filter is wet, the rest of the water molecules slip through the spaces in between the gravel, sand, and cotton. The dirt particles are bigger than the water molecules, so they can't get through. They get stuck in the filter.

Safe drinking water is important for survival. Water from lakes and rivers often has contaminants that make it unfit for drinking. The water may contain dirt, rocks and other objects that can be easily identified. There may also be unseen contaminants like bacteria, viruses, water born parasites, or organic matter dissolved in the water. For these reasons, water that is delivered to our homes must go through a water treatment process. This is typically a five-part process that consists of aeration, coagulation, sedimentation, filtration and disinfection. This activity is only concerned with filtration, which removes most but not all of the impurities from the water.

You most likely will be able to filter out most of the larger visible particles, but the food colouring will remain. This represents the bacteria, viruses, and chemicals that can be in water that are too small for the human eye to see and must be filtered out with ultrafine materials or chemicals.

Be sure to remember that we are only making a test filter and water found outside in puddles, lake and rivers might be unsafe to drink, even when using your filter.

Notes:

Saskatchewan Water Security Agency

Buffalo Pound Water Treatment Plant

Safe Drinking Water Foundation

---

Loving this content? Make a donation to the Saskatchewan Science Centre!

#waterfilters #cleanwater #letssciencethis #SaskScienceCentre #AtHomeWithCASC #ScienceChampions #ScienceAtHome #realsciencerealfun

SSC Interview - Bradlyn Oakes

Jesse from the Saskatchewan Science Centre joins Bradlyn Oakes to talk about weather, climate, how to become a meteorologist, and much more!

Bradlyn is the meteorologist at CTV Regina and is a part of their team as the noon and evening weather anchor. Previously, she had been the meteorologist for CBC North where she covered the weather for all three Canadian territories. During this time she tracked storms across 3 million square kilometres and specialized in reporting on climate change in the Arctic.

Learn More:

This interview is a part of our Science Literacy Week activities celebrated Sep 20- Sep 26 where we are bringing exclusive content on the theme of this year: climate.

For more activities, check out our events calendar: https://www.sasksciencecentre.com/events-calendar

---

Related Links:

Want to explore a volcano in your own home? Buy a Volcano Combo from Atom + Geek!

Create a volcano in your kitchen with Science At Home!

---

Loving this content? Make a donation to the Saskatchewan Science Centre!

#volcanoes #scienceathome #sasksciencecentre #realsciencerealfun #AtHomeWithCASC #ScienceChampions #ScienceAtHome #michaeldaltonsmith #imax #interview #filmmaker

Create A Creature Activity

Create A Creature

There are millions of animal species in the world and scientists are still discovering new ones. The characteristics of an animal reflect the habitat they live in. In this activity, you will create a new species of animal, describing its habitat, and the characteristic that make it unique.

What would you name this creature?

Activity Type

Hands on learning

Age

5 to 10 years old

What You Need

• Create a Creature worksheet (download here)

• Tools: scissors, markers, glue, tape

• Craft supplies; pipe cleaners, straws, paper, googly eyes, pom pom balls, string, buttons, string, fabric and recycled cups, containers, and cardboard.

What You Do

1 - Think about an animal that you know. All animals have unique traits and characteristics that allow them to survive in their habitat.

• What are the important features of its habitat? All living things need certain things to survive; food, air, water, and shelter.

• When something changes in an animal’s habitat that an animal and they are not able to get the things they need to survive, they will need to make changes. Over time, some animals develop adaptations or changes that will help it to survive. This new helpful trait is passed on to the next generation.

2 - Using the Create a Creature worksheet, create a new, still undiscovered animal!

• What is your creature’s name?

• What kind of animal is it? Invertebrate, fish, amphibian, reptile, bird, or mammal?

• Where does your creature live? Does it live in water? On land? What makes this habitat a challenging place to survive in?

• What kind of animal might try to eat your creature?

• Who are its predators?

• What does your creature eat? What is its prey? Does it eat plants only? Does it eat both meat and plants?

• Does your creature have any special skills or abilities (adaptations) that help it survive in this habitat?

3 - Build your creature.

• Using the craft supplies, make your creature into a 3D model. Using recycled materials is a great way to make the body.

4 - Describe it to someone else. Make sure to tell them about all the things that make it a new species and why it has the adaptations it does to survive.

Taking It Further

• What adaptations would be needed for your creature if its food source ran out? Or if the habitat changed?

• Think of your favorite animal. What makes it unique? What habitat does it thrive in and what habitat would it not survive well in?

• Turn this activity into a game. Create cards that would describe an animal's habitat, special features, and characteristics. Build an animal by selecting a card from each category. What would an animal look like that has wings, lives in water, and eats plants look like?

Unusual Leaves

The Usual and Unusual Things Leaves Do!

Before we dig into the unusual things that leaves can accomplish, let’s start with what ‘usual’ or most common things leaves are associated with.

The Regular Function of Leaves: Creating Food for the Plant

Leaves are mostly known for two things: green colour and photosynthesis. The leaves of most plants contain Chlorophyll, which gives leaves their green colour and plays an important role in the photosynthesis process. Here is a quick summary of what photosynthesis is:

Chlorophyll absorbs sunlight and with the help of some enzymes decomposes water into Hydrogen and Oxygen. The Hydrogen is combined with Carbon dioxide (absorbed from the air surrounding the plant) to form sugars which are the source of nourishment for the plant. The Oxygen is released into the air, which is used by animals to breathe.

Special Leaves With Unusual Functions

1. Finding Nutrients from Prey

In addition to the sugars produced in the process of photosynthesis, plants need other nutrients such as nitrogen and phosphorus, which they can absorb from the soil. However, in areas where the soil does not have enough amount of these nutrients, the plants resort to other means of collecting these nutrients such as catching insects. These plants, called carnivorous plants have some of the coolest leaf adaptations to catch insects and extract nutrients from them. According to the information provided by The Botanical Society of America,  there are many types of traps that plants use to catch prey. For example,

Pitfall traps of pitcher plants are leaves folded into deep, slippery pools filled with digestive enzymes.
Flypaper (or sticky or adhesive traps) of sundews and butterworts are leaves covered in stalked glands that exude sticky mucilage.
Snap traps (or steel traps) of the Venus flytrap and waterwheel plant are hinged leaves that snap shut when trigger hairs are touched.

Suction traps, unique to bladderworts, are highly modified leaves in the shape of a bladder with a hinged door lined with trigger hairs

Pitcher Plant

Venus flytrap

It’s important to note that these carnivorous plants only use their prey to make up for the nutrients lacking in the soil. They still create sugars through photosynthesis process to generate food, just like the regular plants.

2. Protecting the Plant from Predators

Thorny Leaves

While providing nutrients is one of the main functions of leaves, they also help sustain plants by protecting them from predators. In order to do this, leaves have adaptations like having prickly thorns to deter animals from eating the plant. Cactus is known for its thorns that can cause mechanical injury to animals that try to eat cacti leaves. Nettles contain stinging hair that are filled with histamine or other chemical. When this chemical is injected into skin, it causes severe reaction.

Cactus

Nettles

Poisonous Leaves

While thorns are a common way that leaves use to ward off herbivores, some plants contain poisonous chemicals to achieve this purpose. The most well-known example of poisonous leaves include poison Ivy, which has an oily sap in its leaves called urushiol. This chemical causes an allergic reaction that can make our skin red, swollen, and itchy.

Oleander are another example of poisonous plants. It is so poisonous that just one leaf is enough to kill an adult. It causes serious stomach pain, diarrhea, vomiting, dilated pupils, dizziness, and breathing problems.

Poison Ivy

Oleander

---

Interested in knowing more about leaves?

Collecting and pressing leaves and flowers is a great way to learn more about the plants you encounter in nature – but it can also be very beautiful! When dried, you can study the pressed plants to learn more about them, or you can use them on cards, pictures, and more to create beautiful art.

Create a preserved pressing of a plant specimen, also called an herbarium! These dried plants let us keep plants around for years. Just keep in mind to not touch poisonous leaves when you come across such plants. The Out of the Box Outdoor Science Kit includes a perfect little activity for kids interested in knowing about leaves. In addition to this activity, the kit includes supplies for 10 more hands-on science themed activities that you can perform to learn more about natural phenomena such as the Sun, stars, etc.

---

Want a challenge? Try this activity with leaves!

We often don’t think about math when we see a leaf from a tree. However, we can see math in fractals found in leaves and many other natural elements. A fractal is a never-ending geometric pattern. In a fractal, a pattern is repeated in the same way, appearing as smaller and smaller versions. 

Here are details instructions on how you can spot and recreate a pattern in leaves: https://www.sasksciencecentre.com/real-science-real-fun/fractals-math-is-written-in-the-leaves

Loving this content? Make a donation to the Saskatchewan Science Centre!

#letssciencethis #SaskScienceCentre #AtHomeWithCASC #ScienceChampions #ScienceAtHome #realsciencerealfun

Explore the Wind

Explore the Wind - It’ll Blow Your Mind Away!

We are surrounded by air, but it’s during a windstorm that we really feel the presence of air around us. But why do winds blow and how does air decide in which direction to go?

Why wind blows?

Wind is the flow of air in a specific direction and here are three key factors that cause winds to blow in a direction:

1. Temperature

When the Sun shines on Earth, its rays don’t reach our atmosphere uniformly and some places heat up more than the others. For example, the equatorial regions receive more heat from the Sun than other parts of the Earth. As a result, the temperature of air varies across different regions on Earth. The warm air is lighter than the cold air, so warm air rises up and the cold air from the surrounding areas moves in to replace the warm air. This causes a flow of air from colder to warmer areas.

2. Pressure

As we move on Earth towards the areas of higher altitude, the atmospheric pressure increases. This difference in land elevation on the Earth’s surface also affects air movement. The air moves from an area of high pressure to the areas with low pressure, creating a wind current. The difference in the pressure determines the speed of air, the greater the pressure difference, the greater the wind speed.

3. Earth’s rotation

The Earth’s rotation on its axis causes the air in the Northern Hemisphere to shift to the right and air in the Southern Hemisphere to shift to the left. This creates clockwise or counter clockwise winds, known as prevailing winds.

How do we use winds to improve our lives?

Humans have used wind to their advantage in many ways, for example, before we had engines to move vessels, we used sail-powered ships to explore the sea and travel. From history, we know that humans relied on winds’ speed and direction to establish quick, reliable routes to travel across the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans.

Wind is also a source of generating electricity (using windmills). The wind energy is environment friendly and sustainable, which means that the source of wind energy is not finite, and it can be sustained for foreseeable future.

Knowing and predicting the winds make our lives safe and comfortable in many other ways. For example, we need to know the wind speed/direction to fly safely. Similarly, engineers need to know the wind speed in an area to design safe buildings, especially skyscrapers.

---

Make your own tornado at home!

Tornadoes are one of the most severe forms of weather that Saskatchewan faces in the summer. They can be very exciting to watch on television but can also be dangerous.   

Using the materials included in the Out of the Box Outdoor Science Kit, you can create your very own tornado in two bottles at home and amaze your friends and parents!

In addition to this activity, the kit includes supplies for 10 more hands-on science themed activities that you can perform to learn more about natural phenomena such as the Sun, stars, etc.

---

Want to know more about extreme winds and tornadoes?

Watch this episode from SSC tv that dives deep into the science behind tornadoes and clouds.

Loving this content? Make a donation to the Saskatchewan Science Centre!

#letssciencethis #SaskScienceCentre #AtHomeWithCASC #ScienceChampions #ScienceAtHome #realsciencerealfun