Alpha Science Classroom: DIY Water Well

Water, one of the foods we depend on for survival, is now readily available to us in the water pipe, but do children know how the ancient people obtained water? And water well is the best tool for ancient people to get water. Do kids know? Today, Alpha Science teaches kids about DIY water wells. Through this basic kids' physical science experiment project, kids can learn how people get water from wells and understand the phenomenon of buoyancy. Also, discover the fun and mystery of science through the most common science experiment activities for kids.

Alpha Science Classroom: DIY water well, materials you need

• 1-liter bottle

• Scissors

• Wire cutters

• Pliers

• Nails

• Yarn

• Small containers

• Pusher

• Popsicle sticks(2)

• Iron wire

• Hot glue / hot glue gun

• Pebbles

• Water

• Electric drill

Alpha Science Classroom：DIY Water Well Step-by-Step Tutorial

Step 1: First, the children need to gather the necessary materials.

Step 2: Children carefully cut off the top of the bottle.

Step 3: Children drill a pinhead-sized hole in each popsicle stick, about 1 inch from one end. The children need an adult to assist them during this step.

Step 4: Children hot-glue the popsicle sticks to the outside of the plastic bottle, near the mouth, and on the other side. Then, pins are threaded through them.

Step 5: Children cut a small piece of string about 3 inches (7.6 cm) long. Then punch a small hole on each side of the small plastic container. Use the thread to make handles. The children made a bucket.

Warm Tips

It may be helpful to use pliers to make the handles of the bucket.

Step 6: The children tie one end of the yarn to the center of the needle. Then, cut the yarn so that the end just touches the bottom of the bottle.

Step 7: Children tie the loose end of the yarn to the handle of the bucket. Then decorate yourself!

Step 8: Now the kids are ready to test the completion of your well! What is your water well? Fill the bottle with about ⅓ of water. Then try putting your bucket in the well. How did it turn out? Did it fill up with water?

Step 9: Children try to put two pebbles on one side of the bucket. Observe if it is now full?

Alpha Science Classroom：DIY water well, the science behind it

Alpha Science Classroom tells kids that if you throw a bucket into a sink, you might be surprised to see it float instead of sink. This is because of a property called buoyancy! Buoyancy is a buoyant force. This is why boats made of concrete and metal stay above water instead of sinking like concrete and metal.

When an object is put into water, like a bucket in a well, it pushes some water away. Water does not like to be replaced, so it will push back the object. The force it pushes back (that's buoyancy!) is equal to the weight of the water being replaced by the object. So, if your bucket drains 1 gallon of water, the water will push the bucket upward with the same amount of force as the weight of the gallon (about 8 pounds). If the bucket weighs less than 8 pounds, it will float. If it weighs more than 8 pounds, it sinks.

Buckets, boats, and other hollow objects have the advantage of buoyancy because they are filled with air. Air is much lighter than water. A gallon-sized solid block of metal is definitely heavier than a gallon of water, but a gallon-sized bucket, most of whose volume is occupied by air, will be lighter than a gallon of water. In order to make the bucket sink, you need to put something heavy in it to counteract the buoyancy. Try it with your own well and bucket!

Once kids' DIY wells are complete, kids can see what helps it sink and what can make it float by trying to put other objects into the bucket. To observe more about the mystery of buoyancy, Alpha Science Classroom hopes that today's children's physical science experiment project will help children explore the phenomenon of buoyancy and that through this fun kid's science experiment activity, children will fall in love with exploring the ways of science and become future physical scientists.

Alpha Science Toys has also prepared many interesting children's physical science experiment kits to help children understand various amazing physical phenomena, gain knowledge and fun from science, and provide children with perfect learning assistance.