Ocean Pollution Activities and Plastic Pollution Activities
When it comes to teaching children about water pollution, Ocean Pollution Activities and Ocean Pollution Sensory Bins are a great visual. It only takes a few supplies to show how liter can pollute a body of water.
Ocean Pollution for Kids
Ocean Pollution Activities and Plastic Pollution Activities for Kids
Your kids will love this hands on activity and ocean life sensory bin. Plus, it is such a great learning experience.
Ocean Pollution Sensory Bin
What you can use to make your Ocean Pollution Sensory Bin is listed below.
- Sensory Table or Large Plastic Bin/Tub
- Water
- Plastic Ocean Animals
- Seashells
- Toy Boat
- Cocoa Powder
- Vegetable Oil
- Plastic Bags
- Random trash
- Coffee Grounds
- Sponge
- Cotton Balls
- Dish Soap
- Small Scrub Brush
- Plastic Tweezers and/or Scoops
Pollution Activities
Water Pollution Activities
Fill your sensory table or large plastic bin halfway with fresh water.
Take a sample of the clean water by filling a small glass or plastic bottle with a lid.
Add plastic ocean animals, seashells and a toy boat to the water and let your children play in the clean water and have fun!
Mix a bit of cocoa powder or coffee grinds and vegetable oil in a bowl. Next, drip the oil into the water, on the boat, and on the animals.
Let your child examine what has happened to the water.
They will easily be able to tell it’s no longer as clear or clean.
Discuss the pollution in the ocean and how pollution works.
Discuss what happens when oil spills into our oceans.
Drop a few spoonfuls of coffee grounds into the water. Now it’s really starting to get gross and dark! The
Explain how this is what happens to our oceans when pollutants get into it.
Shred plastic shopping bags and add the plastic to the water and stir it around.
The plastic has polluted the water. It’s around the animals’ necks, arms and legs now. Discuss what happens when an animal gets stuck in plastic waste.
Take a sample of the polluted water by filling a small glass or plastic bottle with a lid. Set that bottle or glass next to the clean water bottle.
Use plastic tweezers or scoops to remove the plastic from the water. Untangle any plastic from the animals.
Use cotton balls and sponges to try and absorb the oil that has spilled into the water.
Use dish soap and a small scrub brush to clean the oil off of the plastic animals.
Pollution Bottles
Stuff a coffee filter into the top of a small glass or plastic bottle. Filter some of the polluted water through the bottle. Remove the coffee filter and put the lid on the bottle.
Place the clean ocean water sample, the polluted sample, and the sample after you attempted to clean the water side by side.
This helps teach children that pollution has devastating effects on the environment and all of the animals.
End your lesson by discussing ways you can protect the ocean from harmful pollution. Click here for Water Pollution Activities and Ocean Pollution Facts.
Teaching Kids About Pollution – Air, Land, & Water Pollution Activities & Printables
PIN OCEAN POLLUTION ACTIVITIES TO SAVE
Work on ways to reuse and recycle more so there is less waste and less pollution.
CLICK HERE TO CHECK OUT 20 WAYS TO SAVE THE EARTH EVERY DAY
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