Oil Spill
Oil Spill is when oil leaks into water, forming a slick that harms plants and animals living there.
A drop of olive oil falls into a bowl of water and spreads across the surface. The oil forms a thin layer that floats on top and refuses to mix in. Anything beneath that oily film — herbs, seeds, bits of food — gets coated and cut off from the air above. The more oil that falls in, the wider the slick grows, trapping more of what lies underneath.
Explaining oil spill by grade level
Oil floats on top of water in a thin layer. Birds and fish can get trapped in the oil. The oil blocks air from reaching the water below. Plants in the water stop growing when oil covers them.
Projects that explore oil spill
Oil spills coat everything on the water surface, including bird feathers. This experiment makes that damage visible. You dip a feather in oily water, then try to clean it — and even after cleaning, the feather no longer fluffs up or floats well. Oil strips away the feather's ability to insulate and repel water.
When oil spills into water, it harms everything it reaches. You can model this by filling a foil canoe with cooking oil and tipping it over in a dish of water. Cotton balls or torn paper towels soak up the oil, showing how cleanup crews remove a spill.