FAIRHOPE, Ala. — Our worst fears were expected to become reality this week as oil from the Deepwater Horizon spill made its way closer than ever to the Alabama coast. Just the thought of oil spoiling one of the nation’s most diverse ecosystems is of great concern to Baldwin County schoolchildren who have just begun their summer vacation.

“You can sense from their comments the frustration they are feeling,” said Charlene Dindo, director of the Pelican’s Nest Science Lab at the Fairhope K-1 Center. The facility provides hands-on environmental learning for kindergarten through fifth-grade students living throughout the county.

She continued, saying, “Teachers said students were coming in worried about the oil (soon after the oil platform sunk April 22). One student loves dolphins, loves to learn about dolphins and was worried about what happens if dolphins come in contact with the oil.”

Teachers at area schools talked with students about what the oil spill could mean for the creatures they love so much, and Dindo said parents have been getting involved in the discussion at home.

The Baldwin County Public School System has even provided a place where children, parents and teachers alike can interact and stay informed (http://blogs.bcbe.org/oil/). The Web site makes available questions and answers related to the spill, and also contains updated links where more information can be found.

Students visiting the Pelican’s Nest while school was still in session were given maps of the Gulf of Mexico on which they drew the oil spill and discussed what states were most at risk at the time.

“I asked them to take them home so when they saw it on TV or heard about it on the radio, they would have a map to relate to,” Dindo said. “(On the blog) they’re asking what they can do to help, and what can be done to clean it up.”

Kateri O’Connor, a K-1 Center first-grade teacher, said her students are “very concerned and curious about the spill,” and asked how they can help. Most were willing to march to the bay and begin cleaning up immediately.

“I explained to them that right now it is like a water faucet that cannot be shut off,” she said. “We study the weather at great lengths, and we have been watching the wind to see how it is moving the spill. We talked about all of the different ways that the ocean gets polluted and how it hurt us and the other living inhabitants of the sea.”

O’Connor said some children were brought to tears while discussing the possible environmental implications.

“They want to know how it will be stopped; they are very concerned about that sea life. Students are most concerned about the animals,” she said. “I think it is a great opportunity to talk about how important it is to take care of our planet. My students are so inquisitive and we talked about all of the different things we could do.”

Dindo said, “It’s hard to reassure the students and say it’s going to get better. I tried not to be gloom and doom, especially with the younger students.”

Rose Lami-Tynes’ kindergarten students were already learning about the environment when the oil first began threatening the Louisiana coast. She said the class recently adopted two manatees, and the kids are concerned about the gentle beasts.

Among the questions asked, according to Lami-Tynes, were “Will the mommy manatees be able to cover up their babies so they won’t get all covered in oil?” “Can shrimp, crabs and fish get out of the water and hold their breath long enough until the oil all blows away?” “Will my Daddy still be able to take me deep sea fishing?” “Why did those mean people hurt Mother Earth?” “Will the oil revaporate (sic) and make oily rain fall all over everything?” and “Can the oil come up through the pipes in my house and pore (sic) oil out on me in the shower and get oil in my toilet? My Mom would not like that!”

She said her students were already well versed in the ill effects of pollution, so they were given the opportunity to answer each other’s questions with their thoughts. Most of the class verbalized the mommy manatee would not be able to protect her calf, and the sea creatures could not hold their breath out of water.

Lami-Tynes said, “They surmised marine creatures and shore animals will either get very sick or die from the oil. A few children used the word catastrophic (though not quite pronouncing it correctly) because they heard their parents use the word.

“They were reassured that it would not rain oil and, oil will not come up through the pipes in their homes. I stressed the fact that this was a manmade disaster. The children were guided in a discussion of how people can help when the oil comes ashore.”

The extensive television coverage of the oil spill is frightening children as well as adults, and Lami-Tynes’ students are no different.

“They remain quite upset that Mother Earth is hurting, but in their innocence they see themselves as little superheroes ready to go out and save the day,” she said.

Some students are hoping for divine intervention.

“We have to blow it away,” said a student from Mrs. Privett’s class. “Help us God. Please, please God. The end.”

One of Privett’s students pronounced the oil “yucky,” while others offered ways to deal with the spill ranging from scooping it up using an excavator shove suspended from a rope to stacking 100 book bags to block its progress.

Dindo said, “We don’t know what caused this, but we are very dependent on oil - foreign and domestic. They may be the ones who come up with a solution.” She stressed the importance of learning chemistry, physics, biology, geology, meteorology and engineering for students who strive to protect the environment for future generations.

“There are so many factors that come into play when you’re talking about the makeup of the ocean,” Dindo said. “It’s not only about learning facts, but also working as a team and knowing what could go wrong. I would hope teachers around the country use this (spill) to get their students to think outside the box.”