Skip to main content

Clay Pot Filtration

Build a Clay Pot filtration system to clean dirty water and make it safe to drink. Water filters through the clay pot leaving the dirt captured inside the pot. Then, clean water is collected for drinking or cooking.

Back to Activity Finder

Plan

  • What do you know about the water cycle? 
  • Where do you want to build your clay pot filtration system? 
  • How do you want to build your system? 
  • Will it be portable or dug into the ground? 
  • What will you use to build your system? 
  • What will you use to collect the clean water? 
  • How will you test the quality of your distilled water? 
  • How will you form your groups?

Do

  • Thinking about everything you know about the water cycle, draw up a design for your system. 
  • Collect all the materials you will need. 
  • Build your claypot filtration system. 

Review

  • What do you know now that you did not know before? 
  • How could you increase the rate at which the water filters? 
  • How would a claypot filtration system help someone without access to running water? 
  • Is the system portable to take on a backpacking trip? If not, what might you do to make it so? 
  • How does this adventure help you work towards your ScoutCraft OAS? 
  • What elements of STEM did you use in this adventure? (Science, Technology, Engineering, Mathematics) 
  • What did you like about this adventure?  
  • What did you not like?  
  • How would you do this adventure differently?
  • Remember to add your activity to the Take Action Map. 

Keep it Simple

Take it Further

  • Try making a solar still