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Water Wonders - Oil Spill


Bela had very important information to share with the group this week.  He told us that there had been an oil spill in Vancouver waters and that it was "really bad for the animals and us." The children were really interested in learning more so we took this opportunity to learn about oil spills and their impact.

We looked at images of the oil spill in English Bay and discussed how the oil would affect the birds, fish, and others whose habitat is there.  As well, we talked about how the oil is not safe for us to touch and that the shellfish and fish that live in the water are no longer safe for us to eat. The children became very aware of the negative results of the oil spill. 

We re-enacted an oil spill in the water table.  The children quickly spotted the oil floating on top of the water.  Once they started moving the water, they could see how easily the oil spread and was no longer contained in one spot.

To help the children see the affect of oil on birds, they were given feathers to use in the water. Prior to using these feathers, we watched a short video about the affect of oil on ducks and their feathers. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A0XvAdwFW8Q 

Here are some of the comments from the children when they immersed their feathers in the water:
Tyreese – My hands are so slippery.
William – My feather is breaking.
Bela – It doesn’t feel good on my hands.
Ryleigh – This is so greasy.
Billy – This is really yucky.
Keira – My feather is heavy.

The children could really see the change on their feathers and how easily their feather split.  They tried washing their feathers with soap but were not able to get all of the oil out. I told the children to imagine washing a bird with many feathers. "It would be so hard" said Tyreese.

After our oil spill, it was time to clean up. Using the Internet, we researched the various ways oil spills are cleaned up such as containment, absorption, dredging, adding chemicals and burning the oil. We looked at various images of these methods to help the children's understanding of how it is done.  The children tried to absorb our oil spill with cotton balls.  It was a difficult task and we were not very successful.  

The children did not want group time to end.  They are very intrigued as to how people clean birds and animals that are covered in oil.  We ran out of time but if you are interested there are a number of commercials that Dawn has produced to educate others.  They may be found on youtube and their website. http://www.dawn-dish.com/us/dawn/savingwildlife



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