As you turn the tap on, water flows out. How simple it is. But not everyone is fortunate enough to have running water at home. Even today, in many regions, people still draw water from wells, lowering a small bucket with a rope to collect water for drinking. Quite tough, isn’t it?

So, let’s be thankful for the blessings we have; but today’s craft is all about recreating the experience at home using a plastic bottle in order to learn how this simple-looking yet clever mechanism of drawing water with a pulley actually works. It’s not just fun, it’s an educational activity, too! So, let’s get started!

Things you need:

1. A large empty plastic bottle

2. Scissors

3. String (12 to 20 inches long)

4. One small plastic cup (you usually get in takeaways)

5. Two rubber bands

6. One drinking straw

7. A marker

8. One bamboo skewer or plastic stick

Directions

1. Mark the flat middle section of the bottle, avoiding both the bulgy top and bottom parts. Only mark the front half of the bottle, leaving the back side untouched, just like creating a window, picture 2.

2. Poke holes, on top of both marked sides of the bottle so that a stick can go through and sit across the middle of the bottle, see pictures 3 and 4.

3. Cut out the marked part from the bottle to create the window opening, see pictures 5 and 6.

4. Tie rubber bands on both sides of the stick, right at the holes, to keep the stick secure and prevent it from coming out, picture 7.

5. Take a bendable straw and cut out the flexible, springy part, leaving about two inches on both ends. Insert one side of this flat part onto the right side of the stick, then bend it into an “L” shape to create a handle for turning, picture 8.

6. Mark two opposite sides of the small plastic cup, then carefully poke holes on both sides. Insert the string through the holes and tie knots to secure them; pictures 9 and 10.

7. Place the cup inside the bottle through the window, and loop the string over the stick inside; picture 11.

8. For better results, secure the string to the stick with a scotch tape or hot glue. This will help the string roll properly with the pulley movement.

Your mini plastic bottle well is ready! Have fun filling it with water and drawing it out, learn while you play!

The writer can be contacted at ithecraftman@gmail.com

Published in Dawn, Young World, July 5th, 2025