All play ideasBottle siphon water play

Bottle siphon water play

Use two bottles and a length of tube to move water uphill, then work out how it happens.

Age 7 to 9 · Year 3 to Year 4Age 10 to 11 · Year 5 to Year 6OutdoorSunny dayWater week

A siphon looks like a trick until you spot where the water level sits. Then it is physics.

What you need

  • Two plastic bottles or jugs
  • A length of clear tubing or a straw taped to another
  • A washing up bowl
  • Food colouring if you have it

How to do it

  1. 1

    Fill one bottle with coloured water and stand it higher than the empty one.

  2. 2

    Fill the tube with water, holding both ends closed with your thumbs.

  3. 3

    Put one end in the full bottle and the other in the empty one, then let go.

  4. 4

    Watch the water flow, then raise the empty bottle higher and see it stop.

  5. 5

    Try a longer tube and a bigger height difference and time each one.

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