On April 20, 2010, an offshore oil-drilling platform exploded, spilling millions of gallons of oil into the gulf. From Louisiana to the Gulf Coast of Florida the effects are being felt by fisherman, shrimpers, dive charters, and other hardworking folks who depend on the water for their livelihood. But there is another population in these coastal towns who are also feeling the effects and disruption in their lives and it is the children. On the Gulf Coast children spend their time in and around the water. Children who live near the gulf are not shocked when they find a seashell or dolphin swimming in the water; the water and its creatures are simply a way of life for them. But the oil spill has changed the beaches and now children are shocked to find they can't experience their world in the same way they once did. Young children are concrete thinkers so social studies is about building on what is relevant to their lives. Introducing social studies concepts to young children that are focused on what is currently meaningful in their lives is what makes brain connections. Their everyday experiences help them develop a sense of themselves and their world, which will continue to expand as they age. When children see, feel, taste, touch, smell, and otherwise actively engage with something, they can relate the experience to their current understanding of themselves. This article presents the NAEYC criteria (2006) which come alive in the given examples of children, which surfaced as a result of the oil spill and how young children are trying to process this information.