TUMBLE AUDIO COURSE
NURDLE PATROL
Welcome to Nurdle Patrol,
an audio course by Tumble Media - the makers of Tumble Science Podcast for Kids!
You’ve been selected for a top-secret training mission with Nurdle Patrol. Strange plastic pellets—called nurdles—are turning up in oceans, rivers, and lakes. They’re small, sneaky, and causing serious harm.
In this eight-part audio course, you’ll learn how to track them down. With guidance from your lead agent Marshall and real-life scientist Jace Tunnell, you’ll complete field missions, identify nurdles in the wild, collect data, and report to Nurdle Patrol HQ.
Join a real science mission. Real impact. And the planet is counting on you.
Ready to earn your badge? Your mission starts now.
-
Intended for students in grades 3-5
-
Suitable for any age with the help of a parent, caregiver, or teacher
-
Aligned with NGSS: 5-ESS1-1
Lesson 1: Introducing Nurdle Patrol
Welcome to your first mission, special agents. You’ve been selected to join Nurdle Patrol—a team of citizen scientists tracking mysterious plastic pellets called nurdles. In this lesson, you’ll find out what nurdles are, how they’re made, and why they’re showing up in nature. With help from Chief Nurdle Patroller Jace Tunnell, you’ll begin to understand the global problem of plastic pollution. Get ready to accept your mission—and test your skills with the Nurdle Hurdle!
Lesson 2: Identifying Nurdles
Your next assignment: train your eyes to detect nurdles in the wild. These sneaky pellets blend in with seeds, pebbles, and other bits of nature. Learn how to tell them apart using four key clues: size, color, shape, and texture. Then, practice your skills using real-world photos. This mission gets you ready to collect data like a real scientist.
LESSON 2 RESOURCES:
Lesson 3: What happens when Nurdles Spill?
Agents, we’ve got a spill on our hands. In this lesson, you’ll track the journey of a nurdle—from factory floor to ocean shore. Discover how nurdles move through wind and water, and why they’re a serious threat to animals and ecosystems. Includes an investigation into your local storm drains and a mapping activity to show how pollution spreads.
Lesson 4: Choosing Your Nurdle Survey Location
It’s time to prepare for fieldwork. Your task: find the best spot near you to launch a Nurdle Patrol survey. With help from maps, nature clues, and expert advice from Jace, you’ll choose a location where nurdles are most likely to collect. By the end of this mission, you’ll be ready to hit the field and start your first real data collection.
Lesson 5: Nurdle Hunt!
This is it, agents—your first real mission in the field. You’ll head to your chosen location and follow official Nurdle Patrol survey protocol. That means using only your hands, collecting data for exactly 10 minutes, and recording everything you find. Whether you uncover dozens of nurdles or none at all, every result helps scientists understand the problem. This mission builds observation, data collection, and teamwork skills.
Lesson 6: Nurdle Hunt… Return to the Scene of the Crime!
A good agent always follows up. In this lesson, you’ll return to the same survey site to collect a second round of data. Comparing the results helps reveal patterns—are things getting better or worse? You’ll also observe changes in weather, tides, and timing to learn how different conditions affect what you find. It’s all part of doing real science.
Lesson 7: How to share your data with the world
Time to report your findings to Nurdle Patrol HQ. Agents learn how to submit their data to a global database that maps nurdle pollution around the world. With help from Jace, you’ll walk through the Nurdle Patrol website step by step—and see your results appear on the map in real time. This lesson connects your local action to global impact.
Lesson 8: Nurdle Patrol Graduation
Mission complete! In this final lesson, you’ll graduate from trainee to full Nurdle Patrol agent. You’ll reflect on what you’ve learned, celebrate your work, and explore how citizen science can lead to real change. What new rules could stop nurdles from spilling? What actions can you take next? This is the beginning of your journey as an environmental problem-solver.
Production of this audio course and the OCEAN Kids program is supported by the Gulf Research Program (GRP) of the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine under award number SCON-10001259. The content is solely the responsibility of the authors and does not necessarily represent the official views of the Gulf Research Program or the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine.