Earth Day

by Jill (Highlander)

Earth day is the one day of the year that everyone sits down to think about how they are impacting the Earth. With kids, the best way to do this is hands-on: pick up litter, plant a tree, or just get outside and take a look around. At camp this month, my science class talked a lot about our impact on the Earth, and we enjoyed our activity that taught us about pollution and the oceans. I highly recommend that you try this out with kids, but try to do it outside if you can - it gets very messy!

You will need a large-ish plastic or metal tub or bowl filled with water (at least an inch deep), a spoon or two, some sand or dirt- about half of a cup, 1/4 cup of vegetable oil, and some small bits of sponge (you will have to cut these up small).

In your basin, you have a small bit of the ocean. Notice how clean and clear the water is! This is a pristine ocean. As we know, however, accidents happen. This includes oil and trash spills, and we know that sometimes these things are spilled on purpose as well (think: garbage barges). Take the sponge pieces and "spill" them into the water. Talk about what sorts of trash can be found in the ocean, and how it affects animals and their habitats. Take a few minutes to try to scoop the sponges out with a spoon. Can you clean your ocean completely? (probably not)

Then, spill some sand/dirt in the water. Sometimes, water can carry dirt and garbage into the ocean (like sewer water). Can the sand be cleaned out? Try it!

Finally, oil spills happen all of the time. When you spill the oil in the ocean, can that be removed easily? Try it out!

From this experiment, children can easily observe what can happen if we don't throw our litter away, advocate for responsible disposal habits of our city trash, and decrease our reliance on oil.

Happy Earth Day, ya'll!