To complete this science project effectively you will need a number of supplies. This includes a presentation board, a computer, a printer with paper, glue, a large clear glass bowl, a medium-sized plastic container, one liter tap water, several polypropylene absorbent pads, one half-liter motor oil, an apron and rubber gloves. A camera, notebook and pencil should also be on hand to record your findings. Find a spacious, flat area to conduct your experiment. This could be a kitchen island or picnic table. Keep in mind that oil can be very messy. If you are conducting the experiment inside, lay down newspapers to protect surface areas.
Put on your apron and rubber gloves. Pour one liter of tap water into the large glass bowl. Pour in the motor oil next. The oil will float on top of the water. This simulates an actual oil spill in a large body of water. This is a good time to take a picture of your simulated spill. You can print this out and post it onto your presentation board later.
Form a hypothesis. A hypothesis is a statement about what you think is going to happen and is one of the first steps in the scientific method. The scientific method is taught in middle school and, as a seventh-grader, you should be able to demonstrate knowledge of this. Teachers will be looking for a hypothesis in your project, so be sure to include it on your presentation board as well. A hypothesis for this experiment is: the polypropylene absorbent pads will absorb the oil but not the water. This is a simple statement, yet one that can be tested through scientific means.
This is the heart of your experiment. Place an absorbency pad on top of the oil. Be sure you are wearing your apron and gloves when you do this. Pick up the pad to see if the oil is being absorbed. Continue until the oil is gone. Lay pads in a plastic container as they become full. Slip off your gloves and take a picture of the bowl of water next and the oil-soaked pads. Pour the water into a measuring container to see if it still measures at one liter. If so, your hypothesis was correct. If not, either your hypothesis was not correct or you need to find reasons as to why the water didn't measure the same. Perhaps evaporation occurred or some of the water spilled out as you were pouring.
Write a brief journal entry on the steps you took during the project. Include the materials used, your hypothesis, observations and a conclusion. The conclusion is whether or not the pads did absorb the oil but not the water. Create your presentation board by posting your hypothesis at the top of the board. Explain the steps you took to find the answer to your hypothesis. Leave the middle of the board open for your conclusion. Include the pictures you took. Type this up on a computer and print it out for your presentation board; handwritten work looks sloppy.