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Ancient Egyptian Water Clock Build

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Grades 3-540 minSource: Creative Dad Company

Recreate a clepsydra (water clock) like ancient Egyptian timekeepers used, calibrate it, and connect it to how early civilizations tracked time.

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Prep: 10 minActivity: 45 min1 session~$2/groupOne table or a clear section of floorBeginner-friendly

Setup

Place common or recycled supplies for Ancient Egyptian Water Clock Build on one work surface and choose a safe area for the test. Read the four activity directions aloud; drawings, paper models, and household substitutes may replace specialized materials, and no digital tool is required.

Activity

  1. Poke a small hole in the bottom of one cup and set it above the second, empty cup.
  2. Fill the top cup with water and mark the water level every minute as it drains.
  3. Compare your marked intervals to a real stopwatch for accuracy.
  4. Research how ancient Egyptians used water clocks and note one similarity and one difference with your design.

Done when: The group produces the Ancient Egyptian Water Clock Build solution, completes the described test, makes the revision called for by the evidence, and supports its final explanation with an observed or measured result.

Materials

Two plastic cups, a nail, permanent marker, water, a stopwatch

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Steps

  1. Poke a small hole in the bottom of one cup and set it above the second, empty cup.
  2. Fill the top cup with water and mark the water level every minute as it drains.
  3. Compare your marked intervals to a real stopwatch for accuracy.
  4. Research how ancient Egyptians used water clocks and note one similarity and one difference with your design.

Standards it satisfies

  • NGSS · 3-5-ETS1-1

    Define a simple design problem reflecting a need or a want that includes specified criteria for success and constraints on materials, time, or cost.

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