Students often struggle to understand scientific concepts and as a result, are petrified of the subject. This lack of conceptual understanding eventually renders them unskilled with limited cognitive ability in the professional world.
This activity was conducted keeping in mind the concept of air pressure and the importance of using reusable resources for explaining the concept. When the balloon deflates into the bottle, the air pressure increases and pushes down the water. The water rises up into the only outlet it can find - the straw. And that’s how the fountain works!
Resource needed (For a group of 2):
Plastic Bottle: 1
Straw: 1
Balloon: 1
Scissors
Tape
Time required: 30 minutes
Concepts taught: Air Pressure
Instruction for students:
Step 1-
Make a hole in the side of the plastic bottle at the halfway point with the scissors. Keep in mind that the position of the hole is important. So, be careful!
Step 2-
Pass the straw through the hole and make sure it doesn’t bend at the bottom.
Seal it in place with a tape.
Step 3-
Fill the bottle with water about a centimetre lower than the hole.
Step 4-
Fill the balloon with air and fit it on the mouth of the bottle.
Use your fingers to control how much air pressure is released from the balloon.
Your fountain is now ready!
Instruction for teachers: Distribution The activity requires accurate distribution of resources, thus it would be better to do this activity in groups of two so that they can manage their resources better.
Instruction The instruction process of this activity is complicated and involves numerous steps. Thus, after each step you need to ensure that the kids have understood the instructions. You can do this by asking them to repeat the instructions. Go to each group individually to see whether they are facing problem in any step. The final step gets a little messy, make sure the students do it in an open setting to avoid creating mess in the classroom.
Explanation For the students to understand about air pressure it’s important for the teacher to demonstrate the final step in front of the class while explaining the concept of air pressure on water level. However, before explaining check with the students what they have learnt by themselves while doing the activity. Build your explanation on what they say. Nudge them to find the concept on their own.
Note: Let them have fun and run around in the open with the fountain. Fun and creativity make students look forward to learning.
So go, get building!