To demonstrate an oil spill, you'll need a glass bottle, water, cooking oil and an object that will float like birds do on water, such as a cork. Fill the bottle two-thirds full with water and add about half an inch of cooking oil to represent the oil spill. Observe the effects when an object is dropped into the water. Leave the bottle undisturbed and document what happens over a period of days.
For this experiment you will need a bird feather, pan of clean water and cooking oil. Examine the bird feather to see its natural oiliness and observe what happens when it is handled. Drop the feather into a pan of clean water and observe the effects. Does it float? Allow the feather to dry and observe the effects. Repeat the process with a bit of oil added to the water and document the results.
After dropping feathers into a mixture of oil and water, clean some using a toothbrush and dish soap and others with a toothbrush and clean water. What happens when the feather dries? Drop the feathers back into the water and document how well they float. Compare these results to what happens when feathers are dropped into clean water.
Coat feathers in cooking oil or a cooking syrup such as corn syrup. Gather a variety of cleanup materials to experiment with. Ideas include baby powder, dish soap, laundry detergent, salt and vinegar. Try using these materials alone or combining them and experiment with a variety of removal methods such as cotton balls, paper towels, gauze or a toothbrush. Document the hypothesis, procedure and results of each method.