Inside: Teach kids all about ocean pollution and the marine ecosystem with this hands-on pollution sensory bin. Plus see all our fun ocean kids activities here.
Teaching children about marine pollution can be difficult.
Its a boring topic for some kids and yet it’s so important to discuss the devastating impact of water pollution.
This ocean pollution sensory bin is the perfect activity to teach about pollution, the ocean and the effects it has on marine life.
It’s 100% hands-on which means kids will immediately understand what pollution is and what it does to the ocean ecosystem and the animals that live there.
If you’re looking for an engaging activity to teach kids about ocean pollution, you’ll love this sensory bin!
Read on below to see how easy and fun it is to teach kids about pollution.
Ocean Pollution For Kids
This post contains affiliate links for your convenience. You can read my full disclosure here.
Ocean Pollution Sensory Bin For Kids Supplies:
- Sensory Table or Large Plastic Bin/Tub
- Water
- Plastic Ocean Animals
- Seashells
- Toy Boat
- Cocoa Powder
- Vegetable Oil
- Plastic Bags
- Coffee Grounds
- Sponge
- Cotton Balls
- Dish Soap
- Small Scrub Brush
- Plastic Tweezers and/or Scoops
- Small Glass or Plastic Bottles with lids
- Coffee Filters
Water Pollution Sensory Tub Directions:
1. Fill your sensory table with water about halfway.
2. Take a sample of the clean water by filling a small bottle. Set aside.
3. Add plastic ocean animals, seashells and a plastic toy boat to the water.
4. Let your children play in the clean water and have fun!
5. Mix a bit of cocoa powder and vegetable oil in a bowl. Drizzle the oil into the water, on the boat, and on the animals.
6. Let your kids examine what happened to the water. Discuss what happens when oil spills into our oceans.
7. Drop a few spoonfuls of coffee grounds into the water. Now the water is really looking dirty! The water is stained and is cloudy.
8. Shred plastic shopping bags. Add the plastic to the water and stir it around.
The plastic has really polluted the water. It’s around the animals necks, arms and legs. Discuss what happens when an animal gets stuck in plastic waste.
9. Take a sample of the polluted water by filling a plastic bottle. Set aside.
10. Use plastic tweezers or scoops to remove the plastic from the water. Untangle any animals caught in the plastic.
11. Use cotton balls and sponges to absorb the oil that spilled into the water.
12. Use dish soap and a small scrub brush to clean the oil off of the plastic animals.
13. Stuff a coffee filter into the top of a small plastic bottle. Filter some of the polluted water through the bottle. Remove the coffee filter and put the lid on the bottle.
14. Place the clean ocean water sample, the polluted sample, and the sample after you filtered side by side.
Comparing these three bottles side by side helps teach children the devastating effects of pollution on our environment.
I love this activity because it’s such a powerful demonstration about the disastrous effects of pollution on our ocean.