Frozen Fun

Winter is here! We had our first snowfall this week and daytime temperatures below freezing. But my little ones refuse to hibernate.  So we suit up in coats, hats, boots, and mittens, and head outdoors for short periods of time. 

Earlier this week, I noticed that Grant was fascinated by the ice that had frozen in the buckets and toys. So, I took my cue from him and decided to set up a toddler science experiment. I brought out plastic cups of cold water.  I let the kids add food coloring.  Then, I brought out a container of little junk that I found in the craft drawers and toy box - plastic and wooden beads, yarn, plastic screws, a Matchbox car, an Ironman figure, plastic polar animals, and an Oscar the Grouch figure. The kids picked out items and put them in the water.  Then, we left the cups outside to freeze while we went for naps.

(Lest you get the mistaken idea that everyone was on their best behavior during this little activity, you should know that the cups of water got spilled twice, and Nate dumped about 300 tiny beads into our frozen grass, which we then had to pick up one by one without gloves.  Yelling was involved.)

Today, I prepped the kitchen for some icy water play. Water play is probably the favorite activity in our house. I love to do it because my kids love to do it so much. They will play cooperatively and quietly for about an hour. It's like magic, I tell you.

Water play can be a little messy, but it's not as bad as you might think. First of all, it's only water. Now, repeat that with me, "It's only water." Really, it can't do much damage. It doesn't stain. It isn't sticky. There are no crumbs.  As long as you clean it up quickly, water spills are not a big deal.  Over the years, I have come up with some tricks for making water play a little less messy.  I cover my kitchen island with old bath towels and keep extras on hand for quick clean ups. I also put old towels on the floor under the kids' chairs. The kids wear smocks, but they usually have to change clothes afterward anyway. Sometimes, I have put baking sheets under the bowls to catch extra spills. Then, I set out large Tupperware containers, measuring cups, scoops, ladles, spoons, and a variety of containers. That's how I set up the kitchen for our ice experiment.

Notice the many large towels on hand.

I brought the cups of colorful, frozen water inside to the kids, who were filled with anticipation.  They immediately observed (see, it is science!) that the ice was stuck in the cups.  We talked about how the ice was stuck because it was too big.  Then, we talked about how to shrink ice.  Avery came up with warm water (problem solving!).  Grant understood this because the ice we put in his hot soup always shrinks and melts in the warm liquid.

I filled a large pot with warm water and let them go to work.  Avery liked scooping and pouring the warm water over the ice block.  Grant went the more direct route of submerging the ice block in the pot of warm water.  As the ice melted, they were excited to extract the treasures from it.

 

 









It was so much fun to watch their little minds at work.  They were planning, and thinking, and testing, and discovering.  We talked about how we started with water, changed it o ice by making it cold, and turned it back into water by adding heat (In Science lingo, that's a states of matter lesson).  Both Avery (almost 5) and Grant (2) were fully engaged in the activity for a solid hour.  Like I said, water play is magic.


When Avery's ice was gone, she suggested that we do an activity she learned at preschool.  It's a science activity called "Sink and Float."  She told me how to set up the area and label the signs (I did not do this like Mrs. Brindel does, but she was okay with that.)  She showed me how to test the different items to see which ones sink and which ones float.  We used this opportunity to explain to Grant what sink and float meant.  He was only a little interested and went right back to pouring water on Ironman.  But Avery finished the experiment and counted to see which category had more items. I'm glad she showed me this game.  I will definitely try this with the boys sometime.

 

We ended the activity by setting more cups of cold, colored water on the back stoop.  The kids were so sad to stop playing, but this way they know we will play with ice again soon. 

Happy winter!