This hands-on experiment and lesson plan from TeachEngineering 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.
The materials needed are readily available – aluminum pie pans, feathers, vegetable oil, food colors. We’ve even seen this demonstration use marshmallows. What ideas can your students come up with?