Classroom Visit with Pompano Beach Library

Overview

On Wednesday, June 11, 2025, The International SeaKeepers Society Educational Outreach team engaged 15 students and parents at Pompano Beach Library for a classroom lesson on marine pollution and watershed science. The Educational Outreach team introduced the concept of a watershed to the group using the Enviroscapes Watershed Model, a 3D model of a city that can represent South Florida, including a farm, a construction site, a marina, and many residential buildings, positioned next to an ocean, with several rivers feeding into the ocean. The students helped identify different sources of pollution that may originate within the urban areas and used food such as oatmeal, cinnamon and soy sauce to get the model nice and dirty where the pollution is found. The students then “made it rain” using spray bottles to simulate rainfall, which pushed all the pollutants out of the city and into the ocean. The students identified the pathways the pollution took, including the rivers, storm drains, and runoff. In the second activity, “Sink or Float”, the students focused on one of the most common and dangerous types of pollution - plastic. Students were shown examples of items made of PET, HDPE, LDPE, Polypropylene and Polystyrene and were asked to hypothesize whether the types of plastic would sink or float in ocean water. The Educational Outreach team tested their hypotheses with small squares of plastic in a clear cup of water, and led the group in a discussion about which habitats and species would be affected by a piece of plastic that floats compared to one that sinks. SeaKeepers had a wonderful time at Pompano Beach Library and look forward to working with them again later this summer!