No Water Off a Ducks Back

The school got together to learn the effects of
oil spills on animals that live in and around the water.
The children looked at images of animals with oil
on their fur, feather, and scales. We discussed how the animals
get the oil off their bodies, how they breath in water that
has been contaminated with oil, and  how they find food.
Below are pictures of the activities we did to learn more about
how oil effects wildlife.

Washing the oil off a feather. It took several washings!

 Peeling an egg that has been soaking in oil for fifteen minutes.

It was a little tough. After the oil soaked eggs dried the shell became

very hard. The children realized that the babies would not be able to 

hatch from a shell that is so tough to crack. Smart!

The toddlers are getting help from a summer camper to 

peel their egg.

What does the inside of the egg look like? Did the oil get into

the egg? Did the egg change color after being in the oil?

He looks and feels the feather after it was soaked in the oil.

This toddler tries to peel the egg shell too.

How does the feather feel? Could a bird wash off the oil

by themselves?