Students in Patricia LoPresti’s fifth-grade class at PBE recently saw first-hand how oil spills hurt our environment.

 

 

After learning about oil spills and their effects, they created their own oil, using vegetable oil and cocoa powder. They poured it on feathers, to represent birds.

 

 

The students brainstormed different methods for cleaning up the oil and saving the animals in the process.  They tried different methods to see what worked best, including dish soap with cotton balls and a sponge. They determined that dipping the cotton balls in the soap was the best clean-up method for the birds.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The students were also able to see how badly oil spills can hurt our planet.