In Grade 9 Canadian Geography, students are currently learning about the effects of the oil industry. In their lab they created “oil” by mixing cocoa powder and vegetable oil, and then “spilled” the oil.

Students were given 6 different materials to attempt to clean up the mess. Their job was to determine the most effective way to clean up an oil spill in an aquatic environment, which is where a majority of oil spills take place.

Once they attempted to clean up the oil spill, they then “discovered” some animals that had been contaminated, they then had to document the effects of oil on feathers and fur, as well as attempt to clean the animals.