The authors open this article with a description of an incident that happened in 1992, when 28,800 rubber bath toys (i.e., ducks, frogs, turtles, and beavers) fell off a cargo ship in the middle of the Pacific Ocean. In 2009, these rubber bath toys were still washing ashore on beaches all around the world. This science instruction can be used with students in grades 3-5 to promote critical thinking. The story of the rubber bath toys provides an opportunity to make multiple connections to crosscutting concepts and to integrate science (e.g., floating and sinking, decomposition, and human impact on the environment) and social studies (e.g., movement of goods, geography, and human-environment interactions) and environmental education. In addition, it presents students with a meaningful issue with which to examine cause-and-effect relationships and infer ways to mediate environmental problems by addressing a global issue with local action. The students can gain meaningful context on collecting and analyzing data related to the science content of flotation and buoyancy, as well as to think critically about cause-and-effect relationships related to human impact on the environment.