Answer:
Clean, dry feathers (some places where you can legally obtain feathers include pet stores, poultry farms, or craft stores)*
Four bowls
Vegetable oil
Dish-washing detergent
Hot, cold, and room-temperature water (the hot water should be about the same temperature you'd use to wash dishes and not too hot to put your hands in)
1 tablespoon cocoa powder (optional)
Instructions
1. Take a look at the feathers you've collected, then try to answer the following questions:
What kinds of water birds can you think of? [possible answers]
What kinds of things do water birds do? [possible answers]
What do feathers do for water birds? [possible answers]
2. Get a bowl and some vegetable oil.
If you'd like, you can mix a little cocoa powder into the vegetable oil to make it show up better and look more like crude oil.
3. Fill the bowl with room-temperature water to an inch or two below the rim. Pour some oil on the water.
The oil will spread out over the surface of the water.
4. Dip some of your feathers into the oil on the water.
You're imitating what happens when a bird lands on an oil slick on the ocean.
Explanation:
