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First!
First!
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dealing with oil spills
dealing with oil spills
What's the deal?
What's the deal?
What happens during and after an oil spill
4Ocean
4Ocean
How YOU can help
Engineers help!
Engineers help!
Engineers are testing new ways to deal with oil spills
steam project
steam project
Make an "oil spill" and find the best materials to clean it up!
The ravages of an oil spill are far-reaching and really highlight the effect people can have on our world. Teaching kids awareness of human impact on the environment and inspiring them to be a part of the solution is vital to our future on this planet. This fun, hands-on activity simulates an oil spill and challenges kids of all ages to clean up the simulated disaster and its effect on wildlife.
Materials
Materials
Cotton balls
Container (plastic bin of some kind that can hold 8+ cups of water)
Sponge
Vegetable oil: amount depends on the container, use a 1:4 oil to water ratio
Plastic spoons
Dawn dish soap
Plastic cups: to put soap and cotton balls in
Cocoa powder: to mix with oil and make it look like crude oil
Optional: bird feathers, strips of white cloth, fresh leaves, and if you have a cat or dog brush them to get a handful of pet hair (bundled together)
Here is one way to do this experiment. Try different materials and see what works best!
directions
directions
This can get really messy and oil can stain, so be mindful of clothing and shoes
Add water to the container
In a separate bowl, carefully mix the oil and cocoa powder so it looks like crude oil
In very small amounts, add the oil/cocoa powder mixture to the water so that it is easily seen as separate and more easily removed
Use the different materials to try to “clean” the water.
Questions to ask while you work:
What materials seem to work best?
Why can’t we just dump a bunch of soap into the ocean to help clean it up?
Do you think Dawn dish soap would work better than other soaps/detergents?
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