Science Fenns K-5Grades K to 5
A Texas hillside with a strip mine scar on one side, a pumpjack, and a clean creek on the other side.

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The Harm in Using Resources

Mining, drilling, burning and dumping.

Lesson 32 of 41

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Before we start

Today’s story

The Harm in Using Resources

Every day we use things from Earth. Water, soil, trees, metals, oil and gas are natural resources. We build houses, grow food and drive trucks with them.

Getting resources can harm the land. Mining can strip away soil and plants and drilling can leak oil. Cutting forests can wash soil into rivers. Burning fuels puts smoke and gases into the air. Dumping waste can poison water and soil.

Harm to land, water and air hurts plants, animals and people. We cannot stop using resources. We can learn what harm each one causes and find better ways. Here are the steps.

See it

Five steps. Every time.

    Hands on

    Spill Cleanup Test

    30 minutes · Do this with a grown-up nearby

    You need

    • a baking pan
    • water
    • cooking oil
    • cotton balls
    • a spoon
    • paper towels

    Do this

    1. Fill the pan with water. It is a pond.
    2. Pour a spoonful of oil on top. It is an oil spill.
    3. Try to clean it up with the spoon.
    4. Try with cotton balls.
    5. Compare which method took out the most oil.
    6. Notice how hard it is to clean everything.
    Write or draw: Make a table of each cleanup tool and how much oil it removed, from none to most.

    Watch for: Some oil always stays behind. A real spill is far harder to clean than this small pan.

    Safety: Do not pour the oil down the drain. Wipe it up with paper towels and throw them in the trash.

    Same every time

    Three rules

    Rule 1Every resource has a cost.

    Taking it or using it can harm something.

    Rule 2Pollution is harm from waste.

    It can hurt air, water or soil.

    Rule 3Knowing the harm is the first step.

    Then we can plan to reduce it.

    Grandpa Fenn’s notebook

    Say it like a scientist

    natural resource
    A useful material from Earth, like water, soil, metal or oil.
    pollution
    Harmful waste added to air, water or soil.
    mining
    Digging minerals or metals out of the ground.
    habitat
    The place where a plant or animal lives.

    Poppy’s quiz

    Six questions

    Tap an answer. Green means right. You will see why.

    Talk about it

    Say it out loud

    • How do you know a creek has been polluted? What would you look for?
    • What resources does your family use in a day? Which ones come from Texas?
    Did you know

    One gallon of used motor oil can foul about a million gallons of water, which is why it must go to a collection center.

    Someone who does this

    An environmental scientist studies pollution and looks for ways to lower it.

    BeforeSand DunesNext lessonDesign a Conservation Plan