Materials Required:
A large shallow container
Blue food coloring (optional)
Sea shells
Clean sand (optional)
Water
Plastic sea creatures
Feathers
Cooking oil
Food crumbs
Pieces of plastic bag
Dish soap
Toothbrush
Sponge
Cotton balls
Paper towels
Coffee filters
Cotton swabs
Tongs
Small nets
Coffee grounds
Straws
Soil
Steps Involved:
Add sea shells, plastic sea creatures, and clean sand (if using) to the container to represent items that naturally occur in an ocean. Fill the container with several inches of water.
Optionally, add a few drops of blue food coloring to the water and mix it in.
Place the sea creatures, sea shells, and sand into the container.
Discuss the concept of ocean pollution and its sources, such as oil spills and littering.
Add pollution items like cooking oil, food crumbs, pieces of plastic bag, and soil to the water.
Stir the water to mix in the pollutants and observe the changes:
Note how the water becomes discolored.
Observe how the creatures and sea shells are affected by the pollutants.
Discuss the impact on marine life, such as plastic wrap around animals and the effects of choking or oil contamination.
Demonstrate how to use cotton balls to absorb some of the oil on the water’s surface.
Toss in feathers to show how pollutants affect water birds.
Use Dawn dish soap, a toothbrush, and other tools to attempt to remove the oil and debris from the feathers and clean the water.
Discuss the challenges of cleaning up polluted water and the importance of preventing pollution to protect marine ecosystems.