Age:
2 and up
What you need:
- Water
- Container
- Freezer
- Water color
- Paint brush
How to:
- Put water in a container and put in the freezer overnight
- When you are ready for the activity. Take out of the freezer and take the ice out of the container.
- Place the ice on a plate or tray
- Give your child the water color and paintbrush and let them go for it. Paint the ice
This activity is simple and has minimal clean up, which is a pulse. This can be done with small ice cubes, big ice cubes, fun shapes, ordinary shapes. It makes for a fun summer activity when it is hot outside and is great for art and science exploration.
Prompts:
While they are exploring this activity you can ask:
- What does the ice feel like?
- Why do you think it feels sticky when we first take it out of the freezer?
- Answer: it feels sticky because when you first take the ice out of the freezer it is still VERY cold and therefore freezes any moisture in your figures of the paintbrush.
- Is it getting easier to paint on as it melts? Why do you think that is?
- Do you see the paint go through the cracks of the ice? (tip: when they are done you can rinse and show them that the paint has seeped into the ice)
Objective:
This is a great science experiment to allow children to experience what melting ice does and feels like. Ice turns into water. This also allows them to explore textures and is a great sensory activity for little ones. Have fun exploring and watch the color melt together to create a new color.