Ice Rescue
Ice Rescue
Looking for an activity that will entertain your kids for an extended period of time? Ice rescue activities are always a hit! This activity is perfect to move outdoors on a hot summer day. An added bonus is there is a science lesson hidden within the play!
You will want to plan a little in advance to allow for freeze time. You can create your ice rescue around a specific theme or use random items to hide within the ice. We have an ocean theme pictured with this post. Have you seen our new Sea Animal Resources? If you haven’t already, snag a copy for free here!
Materials:
Container: You can use any container you happen to have on hand. For this activity, I used a random bowl I had in my kitchen.
Water
Food Coloring: Optional
Items to hide
Tools to help rescue: You can use anything you have on hand. Some suggestions include warm water with droppers, cups, small pitchers, brushes, hammer, items to use as a chisel, etc
To Create:
Began by filling the bowl ⅓ of the way with water.
If you would like to add food coloring, add a few drops and stir.
Place some of your items for the first layer and place in the freezer.
Once this layer is frozen through, add another layer in the same fashion: ⅓ of the container of water, food coloring and more of your items.
Place it back into the freezer.
Once this next layer is frozen add the final layer and freeze again.
To Set Up:
Be prepared for the thaw. I placed this ice play in a larger play tray. It could be placed on a cookie sheet, baking pan or sensory table. The melted ice adds a fun element to the play so I suggest having something to hold it but you could just as easily place it on the ground outdoors. Set out the ice play along with a variety of tools. Allow the kids to problem solve how to rescue the items. Try to refrain from telling them how to do it but rather ask questions to hear their reasoning. Encourage them to share what they observe and share what you notice as well. You could emphasize the melting process which resulted in a change in the state of matter. You could also say nothing and let them take complete ownership.
Be sure to save this post to refer back to easily. When you try it out, share with us how it went. Comment below or tag us on Instagram @playbeyondthelines. We love to see your variations of play.