What does pollution do to our water?

Talking about birds during our study of Grandfather's Journey > led us to discussing how their feathers work > which led us to talking about what happens to feathers in oil spills > which led us to talking about pollution in our earth. Whew! And we could have kept going!

How do feathers work?
We put a layer of feathers in a ziplock bag and then ice cubes over that. Then we tried it out - was it cold? No! The feathers did a great job insulating our skin!

How do birds clean up after a gasoline or oil spill?
We talked about what happens during oil spills (and when gasoline spills out of a boat motor) and how tough it is for birds and other wildlife to clean themselves. We spilled oil on a feather and tried to clean it off with just water, and then tried to clean it off with soap and water. What do birds do in the wild when they get oil on them?

What impact does pollution have on the water?
Our discussion naturally led into how we pollute the earth, and as I was writing an article about the pollution at Lake Hiawatha in our neighborhood, we headed over there with a garbage bag and picked up some trash. Wow! There sure was a lot of trash between the playground and the lake. We filled up our bag within 10 minutes with an array of things. When we got home, we put it all in a glass jar. Imagine being a fish and swimming through that! Imagine being a bird and trying to dive for food in that! We all agreed it was pretty gross.

What does it mean to be a good steward?
Our discussion pushed out into what it means to be a good steward of our world and God's amazing creation. We all agreed it's important that we not litter, that we reduce our waste, and we do what we can to help the animals and our planet!

Then we watched "No Impact Man," and learned about how one family in New York City did their best to limit their impact on the earth. They got rid of their tv, stopped using toilet paper, bought organic food, and used candles. It gave us some good ideas on ways we can change our lives in order to be better stewards.

And then we went to a farmer's market, a place that seeks to grow things in a sustainable way that doesn't load up our precious earth with chemicals! This is one way we can make a difference.