Today, we conducted a pollution experiment to look at how the water quality changes when the water is full of rubbish. The children gathered up all the rubbish they could find at the ramp, and compiled it into an empty clear jar. We then filled an empty jar and the rubbish jar with water. We shook the jars equally for 30 seconds. Next, we drained the water from the rubbish jar into a clean, empty jar and compared the quality. We found that the water that came from the tap (our simulated clean ocean water) was unpolluted, and that the water from the rubbish jar (our polluted ocean water) was filthy and full of cloudy dirt. This surprised the children to an extent, as we made predictions as to how the water would look before we conducted the experiment. The children decided that the water would be a little bit dirty because of the plastic in the rubbish jar, but were shocked at the difference in clarity at the end result. After the experiment, the children disposed of the collected rubbish properly.
This was an interesting experiment, and it highlighted the importance of stopping pollution in our oceans. It sparked some critical conversations about looking after the planet and how humans have impacted the cleanliness of our outside spaces. The children concluded that it is important for us to "not put rubbish in the sea" because "it makes the water dangerous for all the animals to live in". The experiment/demonstration was very clear for the children to grasp the impact of pollution and was effective in highlighting the dangers of pollution for the environment. The following discussions revealed that the children were acutely aware of where the most of the pollution comes from, with one child stating that "the rubbish and chemicals that end up in the oceans come from people and shops."
The children worked diligently to collect the rubbish and were excited to clean up our spaces here at OSHC. They used their PAWS to work as a team and show respect for the environment. Picking up the rubbish gave the children an opportunity to exercise their fine motor skills.
