Simple Fountain

Water and air are two elements that are very important for life. Water is an example of a liquid and air is an example of a gas. Water and air have similarities and differences when viewed from the nature of the object. Water and air have the same shape properties that always change according to the shape of the container. When viewed from the difference between water and air, water has a fixed volume and its form can still be seen with the eye, while air (gas) has a variable volume, compresses, occupies all space, and is difficult to observe.

After the tools and materials are assembled in such a way, the air in the balloon is released into the bottle, the water in the plastic bottle will be pushed out through the straw. The water that comes out like a fountain occurs due to the air from the balloon pressing the water in the bottle so that the water can move out like a fountain. If the air (gas) has filled and compressed the entire space in the plastic bottle, the water will stop gushing. This proves that air (gas) has pressure, and water (liquid) is able to flow through the gaps in the straw. The water discharge coming out of the straw can be calculated when the water stops gushing so that it can be observed how much water comes out in the period when the water starts gushing out until the water stops gushing.

In addition, this simple fountain is also useful when there are events such as birthdays. The target to be achieved is to increase students’ knowledge for high creativity.

With this simple fountain making activity, students are expected to be able to understand the benefits of water and the properties of liquids and gases. A simple fountain is a science experiment that comes from very simple tools, made from used plastic bottles. The making of this simple fountain is motivated by the many used plastic bottles that are thrown away and will only end up as garbage. Learning activities regarding the forms of liquids and gases can be done with STEM-based learning (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics) through this simple science experiment.

Playful science for students is one of the activities to develop aspects of the development and potential of children. Science learning trains children’s ability to recognize various symptoms of objects and symptoms of events. Students are trained to see, feel, smell, hear, and taste. The more senses that are involved in learning, the more children understand what they are learning. Children gain new knowledge from the use of their senses when interacting with various objects around them. The students looked enthusiastic when they saw the filling of air in the balloons. Fixing balloons to bottles was also difficult and sparked student enthusiasm in overcoming this challenging obstacle.

This “Simple Fountain” science experiment is easy to achieve because it uses materials that are easily found in the environment. The tools and materials used are plastic bottles, straws or small hoses, water, balloons, nails, and plastic containers. With this, students recycle materials to protect the environment, by using items that are no longer used and can be repurposed. The use of repurposed materials is very efficient for this science experiment because they are cheap and easy to find in the local environment. The purpose of making balloon pumps from used plastic bottles is to reduce waste and provide creative activities for students.