Family Health - Purification of Water in the Home

Families will be able to correctly purify water in their own homes.

 

Lesson Preparation

Collect the necessary items to demonstrate water purification:

  1. Two one-liter containers with lids

  2. Chlorine bleach in a small container. (Read the label for the concentration of sodium hypochlorite in the bleach. Strong bleach is 4-6% and weaker bleach is 1%. Stronger bleach is better but either can purify the water.)

  3. Any eye dropper, straw, spoon or other item to dispense chlorine bleach in drops.

  4. Towel or cloth for wiping up water.

  5. Clean glasses or cups.

  6. A magnifying glass or microscope.

Find out where family can buy chlorine bleach and containers if they need them.

Concepts to be Taught

  1. Germs and parasites live in our environment and can cause us to get sick if they enter our bodies.

  2. Water can be purified in the home so the family will be healthier.

 Click on the magnifying glass of any image for enlargement.

Introduction

Ask question.
Ask: How many of you have been sick? Raise your hand. Everyone has been sick at one time or another. Today we are going to learn how we get sick. We are also going to learn how to be healthier and prevent sickness by drinking clean water.

Concept 1

Germs and parasites live in our environment and can cause us to get sick if they enter our bodies.

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There are many ways to get sick. One way doctors and scientists have discovered is to drink water or eat food that has germs of parasites. One problem is that germs and parasite eggs are very tiny and we can only see them through a microscope or magnifying glass (#1). Germs and parasites enter our bodies through our mouths and can make us sick.

Germs and parasites can be found on or in:

  1. Human and animal waste

  2. Any type of insect, particularly flies and cockroaches

  3. Impure water

  4. Impure food

  5. Dirty hands, nails, and clothing

  6. Dirty glasses and eating utensils

Germs and parasites can cause such conditions as:

  1. Diarrhea

  2. Vomiting

  3. Viruses

  4. Tetanus (lock jaw)

  5. Measles

  6. Polio

  7. Fever

  8. Other diseases

Learning Activity 1:

Show pictures to illustrate the concepts. Picture #1 shows us how small germs may be that can fit on the head of a pin. Pictures #2-4 show various diseases and Pictures #5-6 show dirty places where germs can live.

Look through magnifying glass to see dust, dirt etc.

There are many things so small we cannot see them without magnification. Show the family how to use a magnifying glass to look at common items that may be dirty such as food (fruits and vegetable leaves), their own hands and other plants or animals. Explain that germs and parasites are even smaller than the things that can be seen with a magnifying glass. Even though we can't see them in our water, germs and parasites may still be there.

Tell story
 
 
Review with a story:

One afternoon Maria, six years old, was feeling very hot and thirsty after playing with her friends. She decided to drink some water from the community tap. She didn't know that the water was not pure. It had germs. In the night, Maria began to have a temperature, vomit, have abdominal pains and frequent watery stools. The water she had drunk appeared clean but had germs that were too small to see. Nevertheless, the germs were there and made Maria sick.

Ask question
 
 
Ask: What other places can you find germs?

The answers should include: human and animal waste, flies and cockroaches, impure water, dirt hands and nails, glasses and utensils that are not clean, dirty kitchen and bathrooms and other places in the home that are not cleaned frequently enough.

Concept 2

Water can be purified in the home so the family will be healthier.

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Water needs to be purified before it is used by family members for drinking and cooking (#7). Without purification, family members may often be ill. For example, some people think that constant diarrhea is a "normal part of life" for every infant. That is not true and much diarrhea can be prevented by giving an infant purified water to drink.

Purifying will remove the germs and parasites. Purification can be done in several ways, In some places of the world, water is purified by the public works people before it is sent through pipes to people's homes (#8). In these places, people do not have to worry about purifying their water themselves. In places that do not have purification by the city, people can purify their water themselves at home in one of two ways-using chlorine bleach or boiling:

  1. Adding chlorine bleach. Adding a little chlorine bleach to your water can kill germs and most parasite eggs and will not hurt humans (#9). To purify water, follow these steps:

    1. Find a clean, large (at least one liter) container and label it "Drinking Water". Fill it with one liter of water.

    2. Add some drops of chlorine bleach using an eye dropper, straw or spoon. Add 4 drops if the bleach contains 4-6% of sodium hypochlorite. (With 1% sodium hypochlorite, add 20 drops.)

    3. Let the water stand for 30 minutes. Cover the container with a lid or cloth.

    4. Taste the water. It should have a faint chlorine taste which will not harm you. If it has no taste, add a few more drops of chlorine. If there is too much chlorine taste, pour the water back and forth between two clean containers several times and this will reduce the chlorine taste.

  2. Boiling water. Water can be purified by boiling it at a high boil for two (15?) minutes (#10). Cool it and store in a clean, covered container.

 

Learning Activity 2:

The teacher will demonstrate how to purify water using chlorine bleach. After they know how, family members will demonstrate to each other how to purify their water. After the water is ready, everyone will try some so they can recognize the taste.

Review

While the water is purifying in Activity 2, review with the members of the family the concepts of germs, parasites and clean water. Use the pictures and have members of the family, including children, explain the ideas the pictures depict. Use pictures #7-13 to review water purification. Be sure everyone remembers the steps in water purification.

 

Show figures 7-13 to review water purification

Family Activity

Practice the steps of water purification at home following all the steps in the lessons. Find enough containers to store purified water so that there will be enough for every family member.

List of figures for lesson 5.1

Click on the numbered links below to view and print full-sized figures)

1. Germs are so small they cannot be seen without a microscope.

2. Many diseases, such as diarrhea, hepatitis and other illnesses are caused by germs.

3. A cough and cold are also caused by germs.

4. Illnesses such as measles and rubella are caused by germs.

5. Germs are found in many places, especially in dirty places where there is garbage.

6. Germs can enter our bodies through our eyes, cuts and our moth, especially when our hands have touched dirty objects.

7. We may think we can see germs in water, but, in fact, we usually need a microscope or special tests to detect germs in our drinking water.

8. In many cities or the world, the water is purified before it is piped to people's homes.

9. One method to purify water is to use bleach.

10. Another method is to boil the water. Once the water is purified, it should be stored in a clean container with a lid.

11. Store water in a place that is free from dirt and mosquitos.

12. Every member of the family needs to drink purified water.

13. Use purified water to cook, prepare milk, and to brush your teeth.

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