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wordle Is a website that combines vocabulary for all types of clouds in both Thai and Thai languages

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HOME - wordle Is a website that combines vocabulary for all types of clouds in both Thai and Thai languages

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Wordle is a wizard. "word cloud" from text as typed by the user The prominence of the cloud depends on the words that appear frequently in the original text. which can customize the characters according to the desired style, such as fonts, layout styles and font color Images created through Wordle can be used in...

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Using Technology to Support At-Risk Students' Learning

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Engineer Design Challenge Process Graphic

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Engineering Design Process Evaluation Rubric

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Giving Students the Opportunity to Drive Lessons _ Edutopia

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Get and stay organized with OneNote Class Notebook

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While inspiration can come from anywhere, it should all end up in OneNote.

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Thought starters

1. How does this lesson provide students with authentic opportunities to apply science and math concepts?

2. What is the effect of focusing on controllable variables?

3. How would this lesson have been different if students had not built their own catapults?

School Details

Institute For Collaborative Education
345 East 15th Street
New York NY 10003

Data Provided By:

Teachers

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After designing and constructing catapults, 7th graders in Zara Acosta's class determine which variables affect the accuracy of their catapults. Zara starts the lesson with a "Smath Starter," asking students to discuss what variables they were thinking about.

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Quick Look

Grade Level: 6 (5-7)

Time Required: 1 hours 30 minutes

(two 45-minute class periods)

Expendable Cost/Group: US $2.00

Group Size: 2

Activity Dependency: None

Subject Areas: Earth and Space

NGSS Performance Expectations:

Summary This hands-on experiment provides students with an understanding of the issues that surround environmental cleanup. Student teams create their own oil spills, try different methods for cleaning them up, and then discuss the merits of each method in terms of effectiveness (cleanliness) and cost. They are asked to put themselves in the place of both environmental engineers and oil company owners who are responsible for the cleanup.
This engineering curriculum aligns to Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS).

Engineering Connection

Environmental engineers are called upon to assist with the cleanup of oil spills and other environmental hazards. They must be familiar with different cleanup methods and then effectively communicate these strategies with the community, the cleanup crew and the company/person responsible for the spill. Environmental engineers' contributions to environmental cleanup are important in keeping our Earth's water and land healthy for plans and animals.

Learning Objectives

After this activity, students should be able to:

Identify some causes and effects of oil spills on a water source and the organisms that use that water.

Describe the different methods that environmental engineers use to clean up water pollution.

Use volume to describe the amount of oil and water removed during the model cleanup.

Organize their oil removal data and analyze using a bar graph.

Educational Standards

Each TeachEngineering lesson or activity is correlated to one or more K-12 science, technology, engineering or math (STEM) educational standards.

All 100,000+ K-12 STEM standards covered in TeachEngineering are collected, maintained and packaged by the Achievement Standards Network (ASN), a project of D2L (www.achievementstandards.org).

In the ASN, standards are hierarchically structured: first by source; e.g., by state; within source by type; e.g., science or mathematics; within type by subtype, then by grade, etc.

NGSS Performance Expectation

Click to view other curriculum aligned to this Performance Expectation

This activity focuses on the following Three Dimensional Learning aspects of NGSS:

Science & Engineering Practices

Disciplinary Core Ideas

Crosscutting Concepts

Relationships can be classified as causal or correlational, and correlation does not necessarily imply causation. The uses of technologies and any limitations on their use are driven by individual or societal needs, desires, and values; by the findings of scientific research; and by differences in such factors as climate, natural resources, and economic conditions. Thus technology use varies from region to region and over time.

NGSS Performance Expectation

Click to view other curriculum aligned to this Performance Expectation

This activity focuses on the following Three Dimensional Learning aspects of NGSS:

Science & Engineering Practices

Disciplinary Core Ideas

Crosscutting Concepts

There are systematic processes for evaluating solutions with respect to how well they meet the criteria and constraints of a problem. Sometimes parts of different solutions can be combined to create a solution that is better than any of its predecessors. Although one design may not perform the best across all tests, identifying the characteristics of the design that performed the best in each test can provide useful information for the redesign process-that is, some of the characteristics may be incorporated into the new design.

Suggest an alignment not listed above

Materials List

Each group needs:

1 aluminum pie pan

1 large stone that fills ~20% of the pie pan; ask students to bring from home during the two weeks leading up to class

2 bird feathers, available from hobby shops

1 plastic spoon, for skimming oil from the pie pan

1 small graduated cylinder, ~20 ml, for placing spoonfuls of skimmed oil/water

1 small funnel, for adding skimmed oil/water to test tubes

4 oil absorbing cloth pads, for absorbing oil; either cut a big sheet into smaller squares or use cotton balls/pads

1 small squeeze bottle of "grease-fighting" dishwashing detergent labeled "dispersant", such as Dawn®

Oil Spill Worksheet, one per student

For the entire class to share:

pitchers/jugs of water

~100 ml dark vegetable oil in a plastic squeeze bottle; if necessary, oil can be dyed with liquid food coloring

plenty of paper towels

1 large garbage bag, for cleanup

Worksheets and Attachments
Visit [www.teachengineering.org/activities/view/cub_enveng_lesson01_activity1] to print or download.

Pre-Req Knowledge

For the activity worksheet, students should be familiar with creating bar graphs.

Introduction/Motivation

The Exxon Valdez oil spill was one of the largest oil spills in recorded history. It took four summers to clean up the spill. Why is it so hard to clean up oil? Why does it take so long? One reason is because of its low density, which causes oil to float on top of water. In addition, oil is hydrophobic (afraid of water) so it does not like to be in water. Oil is more likely to stick to anything other than water; which explains how it pollutes animals, beaches and rocks rather than mixes with water.

In some cases, people rely on the environment's ability to dilute pollutants. For example, car exhaust is very toxic, but we depend on the environment's ability to mix the exhaust with the air in the atmosphere. Although it is not the best method of dealing with pollution, diluting the exhaust in the air actually reduces its toxicity. We are not harmed (that is, poisoned) by carbon monoxide while walking alongside a car, but we would be if we sat in a closed garage with the car running. The ocean works in the same way as the atmosphere. Some wastes are unavoidably disposed of in the ocean. Runoff from populated areas, highways and chemical-laden fields contains various types of pollution, and it all ends up in the ocean at some point. The ocean can dilute the runoff to a certain extent-resulting in no immediate threat to inhabitants. Because of its hydrophobic properties, however, oil will never easily dilute into the ocean, which makes it very hard and time-consuming to clean up spills.

Oil spills, like most environmental issues, become contentious political situations. Many questions are asked, and blame is given. Who is responsible for the pollution? Who should pay for the cleanup? How much should they pay? How should the spill be cleaned up? These and other questions are often highly-debated issues. For example, most oil companies argue that the least expensive clean-up option should be used; whereas environmentalist and people impacted by oil spills want the method that works the best-no matter the cost. In the case of the Exxon Valdez oil spill, Exxon paid a tremendous amount of money for the initial cleanup, although a lot of oil still remains in and around Prince William Sound. Although Exxon has already paid $1.1 billion in punitive damages to many of the local people who were negatively affected by the spill, they are still being sued for more. Another example of how complicated environmental issues can become is that even decades after the spill occurred, lawyers are still debating how much money to pay the 32,000 fisherman who were out of work because of the Exxon Valdez oil spill.

Today, we are going to create a model of an oil spill. You are going to play the role of environmental engineers and use different technologies to clean oil from water. You will use booms and skimmers (used to contain the oil and avoid spreading); absorbents (used to soak up the oil and avoid spreading); and dispersants (chemicals used to break down the oil). You will collect data on oil removal and then look the cleanup methods used from the viewpoint of both the environmental engineer and the oil company owner. How do you think they will feel about the oil spill cleanup?

Procedure

Before the Activity

Gather materials and make copies of the student worksheet.

To give give students enough time to experiment with oil remediation methods, separate materials for each team into bins or bags, ready to hand out.

With the Students: First Class Period

1. Introduce the topic of environmental engineering. Talk about the different tasks for which environmental engineers are responsible: biotechnology, water treatment, wastewater treatment, hazardous waste management, landfill construction, etc. Mention that today, we will focus on an environmental problem that involves environmental engineers.

2. Present the Introduction/Motivation section content. Ask students if they have ever heard of any oil spills, such as the Exxon Valdez. Talk about the significance of the oil spill, how much oil was released and the impact it had on the environment. (Note: If possible, print Figures 1 and 2 to show students the effects of the oil spill on the surrounding beach/land).

Figure 1. An oil covered beach, resulting from the Exxon Valdez oil spill.

Figure 2. An oil slice approaching land, resulting from the Exxon Valdez oil spill.

1. Discuss both the environmental engineer and the oil company owner positions with regard to the cost of cleanup. When is clean really clean and when is expensive really expensive? (For this activity, owners desire the most effective cleanup for a reasonable cost while environmental engineers desire the most effective cleanup regardless of cost.)

2. Ask students to brainstorm different methods for cleaning up an oil spill. Write their suggestions on the classroom board, reminding them that all suggestions are good and worth sharing. Have them discuss if the suggested methods are really good (effective) at cleaning up spills and how expensive they think each idea might be.

3. After brainstorming, discuss the methods that they will be using today to clean up the oil spill: 1) skimming, because oil floats, 2) absorbing it onto pads that specifically absorb oil, and 3) adding a dispersant to break up the oil "slick" surface into little droplets.

4. Ask them to form a hypothesis regarding which method they believe will be the best for cleanup and why and write it on their worksheets.

5. Model setup: Have student pairs set up their oil spill pans. Have them place the pan on the table and put the stone in the middle of the pan. Add water to the pie pan until about half full. Tell students: In this model oil spill, the stone represents the land and the water represents the ocean. One objectives for your cleanup effort is to keep the oil away from the land.

6. Begin testing: Have them place a small amount (~1 tablespoon) of oil (dark-colored vegetable oil) in the pie pan. What happens? Have them watch closely to see if the oil moves toward the land.

7. Have them place a feather in the oily water. After 30 seconds or so, remove the feather and examine what the oil has done to it. What impact can they conclude that oil has on birds?

8. Have them use the skimmer (spoon) to try and remove the oil, pouring into a graduated cylinder. (Note: Demonstrate how to use the spoon to gently skim off the top layer of oil without removing spoonfuls of water). Ask them to determine approximately what percentage of oil and what percentage of water they removed? Record their measurment number on their worksheets. (Note: Obtain the number from the graduated cylinder since the oil and water will separate in the cylinder.)

9. Have them place a score (H = high, M = medium, L = low) on their worksheets for the cost and effectiveness of skimming if they were either the environmental engineer or the oil company owner.

10. Next, have them use the absorbent cloth to absorb the oil. Ask them if they think the cloth is expensive? How well did it work?

11. On their worksheets, have them rate the cloth in terms of effectiveness (H, M, L) and cost (high cost, medium cost, low cost) if they were either the environmental engineer or the oil company owner.

12. Lastly, have them place 1 or 2 drops of "dispersant" into the pie pan and stir it around with a spoon. Expect them to notice that the oil appears to break up into small droplets. Is this an effective means for cleanup?

13. Have them use dispersant on the feathers to see what effect the oil now has on them. Expect the feathers to be fine; the dispersant worked!

14. Have them rate the dispersant in terms of cost and effectiveness if they were either the environmental engineer or the oil company owner.

15. Cleanup time: Clean the rocks with soap and water. Clean up the surface areas with paper towels. Place the water, vegetable oil and dispersant from the pie pans and test tubes down the drain. Place pie pans in garbage bags. Return any cleaned reusable supplies to a common area.

With the Students: Second Class Period

Students continue to complete the worksheets. Ask them to make two vertical bar charts on their worksheets showing the relationship between low, medium and high effectiveness (one of the bar charts) for each cleanup method and cost (the other bar chart) if they were an environmental engineer or an oil company owner. Refer to Figure 3 for an example of each.

Figure 3. Example bar charts.

1. Have students discuss their answers with a partner. Let them know that they need to be able to defend their answers.

2. Take a Stand! Ask students to take a stand on the following statements. Have them line up in one of five rows based on whether they agree strongly, mildly, neutral (don't know if they agree or not), disagree mildly or disagree strongly with the following statements. (Note: Hang signs on the wall matching the possible responses, so students do not get confused as to which line is which.) Randomly call on certain students to explain their point-of-view and logic.

Take a Stand! "I think there was a high degree of effectiveness and low cost in cleaning up the oil spill using skimming." After they take a stand (that is, form in rows), discuss the impact of the ocean waves and how this would make skimming that much more difficult to carry out. Talk about how much water they picked up with their spoons and how effective this method really was. Talk about the cost of boats that perform skimming procedures.

Take a Stand! "I think there was a high degree of effectiveness and low cost in cleaning up the oil spill using absorbent cloth." While the cloth worked well, mention the environmental impact of cleaning up or disposing of the cloth. Have they only added to the cleanup? This method may work nice in a pie pan, but how effective is this method in an enormous ocean oil spill? Also, is this cloth expensive to buy?

Take a Stand! "I think there was a high degree of effectiveness and low cost in cleaning up the oil spill using dispersants." Important: Ask them where the oil went. Ask them if the water is really clean or not so clean? Point out the issues of putting more chemicals in the water and if this is appropriate or not. Discuss with them the fact that the ocean waves might mix the dispersant. How might the dispersant affect animals and organisms in the water? Is the dispersant a pollutant that upsets the ecosystem balance?

Collect the completed worksheets. Then, summarize the experiment. Be sure to talk about the various perspectives that were presented, based upon the environmental engineer or oil company owner point-of-views. Reflect on the bar charts as one possible scenario, but explain that different people would have different answers.

Assessment

Pre-Activity Assessment

Brainstorming: Ask students to brainstorm different methods for cleaning up oil spills. Write their suggestions on the classroom board, reminding them that all suggestions are worth sharing during brainstorming. Have them discuss whether the suggested methods are really good (effective) at cleaning up spills and how expensive they think each idea might be.

Activity Embedded Assessment

Worksheet: Have students complete the Oil Spill Worksheet during the course of the activity. Verify that students are using the different materials to collect their "oil spill" by walking around the classroom and asking them which part of the procedure they are working on. Review their answers to gauge their mastery of the subject.

Post-Activity Assessment

Prediction Analysis: Have students compare their initial predictions with their test results, as recorded on the Oil Spill Worksheet. Ask students to explain how effective each methods was. Analyze the data from each test to determine similarities and differences among each design solution. Identify the best characteristics of each that can be combined into a new solution.

Problem Solving: Have students engage in open discussion to suggest solutions to the following problem:

After trying to contain, clean, dissolve, or remove the oil spill with the various utensils and "chemicals," you never reached a pristine environment. As environmental engineers, how would you approach the cleanup of a major or minor oil spill in a local water resource? Which, if any, of the cleanup technologies would you use? Would you use more than one?

Persuasion Paper/Oral Defense: In a short paper or oral defense, assign students to explain the jobs environmental engineers perform, sources of pollution, and why pollution is harmful for the environment.

Making Sense: Have students reflect about the science phenomena they explored and/or the science and engineering skills they used by completing the Making Sense Assessment.

Troubleshooting Tips

This activity can be very messy. Make sure to have plenty of paper towels for cleanup! All materials in this activity can be disposed of in the garbage or down the drain.

Activity Extensions

Cleaning Oily Feathers Experiment: In this experiment, students look at the way oil affects bird feathers and try out different cleanup methods to find out which works best. http://response.restoration.noaa.gov/training-and-education/education-students-and-teachers/find-best-way-clean-oil-bird-feathers.html

Graphing Changes in Marine Life Abundance Activity: This study uses the same methods used by real marine biologists. http://oceanservice.noaa.gov/education/stories/oilymess/working.html

Activity Scaling

For lower grades, focus on the bar graphs. Have the students present their graphs. If time permits, have them add pictures for support.

For higher grades, add extra math support by having students create graphs that compare the effectiveness (y-axis) vs. cleanup method (x-axis). Then have them create another graph that compares effectiveness vs. costs of different cleanup methods. Have them explain/support their answers with a persuasive paragraph. Or, have student groups develop an action plan for an area of the coast where an oil tanker has had a major spill. What should the community do? Local government do? Local engineers do? Have students use their graphs to support a proposal made by the local government to the community.

References

"Exxon plans quick appeal in Valdez case: Judge awards $4.5 billion in damages." Published January 29, 2004. Colombia Daily Tribune. Accessed January 29, 2004.http://www.showmenews.com/2004/Jan/20040129Busi006.asp

Exxon Valdez Oil Spill Trustee Council http://www.evostc.state.ak.us/

FAQS and History. Office of Response and Restoration, National Ocean Service, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration http://response.restoration.noaa.gov/faqs/history.html and http://response.restoration.noaa.gov/

Copyright © 2004 by Regents of the University of Colorado

Contributors Sharon D. Perez-Suarez; Melissa Straten; Malinda Schaefer Zarske; Janet Yowell

Supporting Program Integrated Teaching and Learning Program, College of Engineering, University of Colorado Boulder

Acknowledgements

The contents of this digital library curriculum were developed under grants from the Fund for the Improvement of Postsecondary Education (FIPSE), U.S. Department of Education and National Science Foundation (GK-12 grant no. 0338326). However, these contents do not necessarily represent the policies of the Department of Education or National Science Foundation, and you should not assume endorsement by the federal government.

Last modified: October 20, 2020

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Small-Scale Modeling of Oil Spill Cleanup Methods - Activity

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This hands-on experiment provides students with an understanding of the issues that surround environmental cleanup. Student teams create their own oil spills, try different methods for cleaning them up, and then discuss the merits of each method in terms of effectiveness (cleanliness) and cost.

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Find out more about oil spill cleanup with the science experiments in this article!

First, some background info on oil and water...

There have been many oil spills over the years, such as the Gulf oil spill in the U.S. that happened in April 2010, when there was an accident at a drilling rig in the Gulf of Mexico. A spill like this that is close to land causes many problems for the environment and makes it difficult to clean up. As little as three gallons of oil can spread to make a slick mess covering one acre of the ocean's surface. With the Gulf oil spill, it's estimated that 200,000 gallons a day have spilled into the ocean as scientists work to stop the leak and clean up.

Oil spills like this are very damaging, but they aren't the only source of oil that is polluting our waters. Rain washes particles from air pollution into the ocean. Natural seeps from the ocean bottom also occur every year. And one of the biggest sources of oil polluting the ocean is thought to be from the oil people put down their drains every day, as well as the runoff from parking lots. So, cleaning up the ocean is an important issue, not just because of recent oil spills.

Oil and water don't mix - as you might already know. You also know that oil is sticky and greasy. This makes it hard to clean up. Let's take a look at the chemical properties of oil and water to see why.

Each water molecule is made of two hydrogen atoms and one oxygen atom - H2O. When the two hydrogen atoms bond with the oxygen, they attach to the top of the molecule rather like Mickey Mouse ears. This molecular structure gives the water molecule polarity, or a lopsided electrical charge that attracts other atoms. The end of the molecule with the two hydrogen atoms is positively charged. The other end, with the oxygen, is negatively charged. Just like in a magnet, where north poles are attracted to south poles ("opposites attract"), the positive end of the water molecule will connect with the negative end of other molecules. Because of their polarity, water molecules are strongly attracted to one another.

What happens when oil and water are put together? The two liquids won't mix. Oil is non-polar, meaning its molecules are balanced, with equal sharing of electrical particles, rather than one negative and one positive end. No matter how much you stir it, a mix of oil and water won't come together, because the molecules can't connect.

Oil is made of more complex molecules, containing carbon and hydrogen. Oil molecules are non-polar, meaning they don't stick together like water molecules do. Oil is thick and heavy, yet its molecules are spread farther apart, lowering the density. Because it has a lower density, oil floats on water's surface. Oil is also slippery - it doesn't stick together like the polar molecules of water.

Experiment 1 - What happens when oil is added to water?

You know that water and oil don't mix. Take a look at exactly how they react to each other and find out what happens to create an oil slick.

1. Fill a clear plastic container a little over halfway up with water.

2. Pour a few drops of cooking oil into the water, watching what happens when you start pouring very slowly, then pour quickly.

The oil always floats to the top of the water in the container. Even if you were to release it at the bottom, it would float up. If you pour slowly, the oil will stick together, making a big puddle. If you pour more quickly, the oil breaks into droplets, or smaller puddles. If you look closely, you can see tiny drops or particles of oil that are floating on the surface. All of these traces of oil - big and small - make an oil slick. Sometimes the oil is spread extremely thin, and in other spots there is a messy oil puddle. An oil slick is created when a lot of oil is released, so it floats up to the surface and spreads over a large area. In the ocean, waves and the wind spread the oil around even more.

Experiment 2 - Oil cleanup using absorbents

Reuse the container of water and oil from the last experiment. Find some materials around your house or school that have absorbent properties and could help soak up the oil to clean up the oil slick. Some examples: cotton balls, laundry lint, a paper towel folded into strips, and makeup remover pads or sponges. Make sure you choose something small and light.

1. Place one of the absorbent items into the container of water, moving it around to soak up the spill.

2. Try containing the oil by blocking off a small area with several pieces of the absorbent material. Can you make a square around the spill, without any oil escaping?

3. Try this project again using one of the other absorbents. (You made need to add more oil to the water to create more slicks.)

4. Once the majority of oil is soaked up, throw away the absorbent pads and any other materials you tried and then pour the water down the sink.

In real life, floating objects, sort of like a big sock, are carried into the ocean and then pushed off the side of a boat to help soak up oil spills. These socks (called booms) are filled with absorbent material that can soak up a lot, yet are also lightweight. You created a type of mini boom in this experiment. It works to clean up water by soaking up the messy spill once it gets close to a drop of oil. These booms are very effective, but the difficulty is in controlling them so that they go where the oil is. Was it hard to contain the oil to a small area in this experiment? Many small drops escaped, didn't they? Imagine how difficult blocking off an area with booms would be for a real oil spill in the ocean that has waves and wind. You can expand this science project further by seeing how much oil each absorbent material can contain, or how long they can sit in a container of water before soaking it up and getting wet all the way through. For better results, be consistent with the size of strips you use, and time your experiments using a stopwatch. Record the results of your experimenting by keeping a journal on lined paper or a notebook. You can even draw charts or graphs for your lab journal.

Oil Spill Cleanup Experiment Kit

Want to do more in-depth science projects? This new kit is designed to teach students all about oil spills. It includes all the materials you'll need (except for water) plus full instructions for doing six different experiments. Learn about the polarity of water, use feathers and sponges to study the effects of crude oil on animal li fe and the environment, and try out real techniques that are used to clean up an oil spill (such as absorption and dispersion). Includes ideas for science fair projects. Ages 10 & up.
Find out more >>>

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Oil Spill Cleanup Experiments - hands-on projects

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Find out more about oil spill cleanup with the science experiments in this article! There have been many oil spills over the years, such as the Gulf oil spill in the U.S. that happened in April 2010, when there was an accident at a drilling rig in the Gulf of Mexico.

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Teach your child, or students, about the consequences of oil spills in our oceans, with this oil spill clean up experiment for kids. A great introduction to environmental science experiments for kids.
Disclosure: There are Amazon Affiliate links in this article which means, at no additional cost to you, we could receive compensation for our recommendations. You can read our full disclosure policy on our Disclosure Page for more details.
We love book inspired activities. Over the years books have inspired the food we eat, the gardens we grow and so many crafts. This week we are taking inspiration from a book to explore the environment and science.

After reading the book " Harriet's Home at the Sea " by Evelyn Wang, we were inspired to create our own oil spill clean-up experiment. When Harriet's ocean community is impacted by an oil spill, how can she possibly help? What could we do to help clean up an oil spill?

Our oil spill experiment began with a discussion about the consequences of an oil spill on the environment. We discussed how oil can hurt birds, making it so that they cannot fly or swim. We discussed the negative impact an oil spill can have on the shoreline habitat of many plants, animals and fish. Birds and animals nest and live in the marshy shoreline and the oil can destroy their homes.

If they can't nest then there won't be another generation. We thought about the plants in the water and on the shore and that the oil can hurt as well. These are a few of the negative impacts of an oil spill on the environment. So, we determined that the most important thing was to stop the oil from spreading and reaching the shoreline.

Following our discussion, we made the hypothesis that we wanted to test in our science experiment. We came up with three possible tools to help clean up an oil spill - absorb, remove or clean. We put our ideas to the test.

Oil Spill Clean Up Experiment for Kids

green modelling clay
water
large container ( 9″ x 13″ glass cake pan)
cooking oil (we used olive oil)
ocean toy animal
cheesecloth
dish soap
spoon

First, inside of a large glass cake pan we created our environment. The girls used the green clay to make landmasses in our large container. We were trying to create a space with land and water...as our oil spill would take place on the water.

We then poured in an inch or two of water. Then it was time for the oil spill. We poured about 2 tablespoons of olive oil into the centre of the water and observed the oil for a few minutes. The oil slowly spread across the water.

When we placed our animal in the oil, it was immediately covered in oil and the oil started to spread even further. We reached in and pulled the animal out of the oil. Our little animal was coated in oil. After only being in the water for a few moments - it was already covered in oil.

We rinsed the animal with running water, but he was still slippery. So, we had to use dish soap to totally clean our little animal. When we set our animal down to dry, it was time to tackle cleaning up the oil in the water.

Absorption - We started our clean-up with a piece of cheesecloth. We thought the cheesecloth would absorb the oil. While it did absorb the oil, it also spread the oil further around the container. The oil started heading for the shoreline.

Removal - Next, we tried to scoop out the oil with a spoon. We thought this would be a good way to remove the oil. It was really hard to scoop the oil since the oil kept moving whenever the spoon got close to the oil. The oil was spreading even further as the spoon disturbed the oil.

Clean - Finally, we tried to use dish soap to actually clean the oil out of the water. The dish soap did move the oil, but it took a LOT of dish soap to move the oil. We thought that maybe the impact of the soap would be as bad as the oil if we needed to use so much of it.

So, what were our oil spill experiment observations?

the cloth did a pretty good job absorbing the oil

the spoon was helpful as well but disturbed the oil

the soap didn't really help and it meant we added more chemicals to the water

How to clean up an oil spill in the ocean?

After doing a little online research we learned that absorption and removal are the approaches that are used when dealing with actual oil spills in our environment. Scientists are working on some very cool inventions for oil spill clean-up. For instance, using milkweed to absorb oil and using floating vacuum cleaners to remove the oil.

Commonly, the first step in cleaning up an oil spill is to contain the oil and stop it from reaching the shoreline. The shoreline is a vulnerable environment, often housing plant life and animal life that can be destroyed by the oil. Boats will tow large booms around the oil spill, containing the oil. Then a skimming device will be used (much like our spoon) to remove as much oil as possible.

Depending on what the spill is made from, they will even burn the oil to try and remove it from the water. Imagine burning oil in the ocean!?

Finally, much like our soap when they have removed as much of the spill as possible they will add a chemical to the oil patch and it will help to disperse the remaining oil. That's a whole lotta work to clean up an oily mess in the ocean.

What household items would you try to use to clean up an oil spill? An oil spill experiment would make a great science fair project for kids. If you try your own experiment, share how the results of your oil spill experiment in the comments below. I'd love to know what conclusions you came to.

Today's post is part of the Storybook Science series being hosted by Inspiration Laboratories. The theme this week is EcoSystems and the Environment. Head over and check out all the amazing books, activities, crafts and experiments being shared.

Check out these cool environmental science experiments for kids

Have fun with our awesome collection of Earth Day activities for kids

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Hands On Oil Spill Clean Up Science Experiment for Kids

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How can we remove oil from the ocean? Learn about ocean cleanups with this ocean oil spill clean-up experiment. A step-by-step environmental science project for kids

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