Ice Treasures

An oldie but a goodie :)

Not much to report today... bit of a sleep deprived rut has crashed into me today.. but heres a brilliant idea for school holidays and summer that is just too much fun :) I am actually planning to repeat it here next week even though it is the middle of winter....

Ice Treasures

This activity takes a bit of preparation but its so worth it.. my kids have spent hours doing this during the week..

Start by finding a large container that will fit in the freezer.. icecream container is a good size.

Put in about a quarter full of water. Into this water the first layer of treasures : I had coins, buttons, plastic dinosaurs, marbles, shells... anything I could find on the floor ;) obviously it will have to be larger items for smaller children. You wont need heaps of things in each layer you freeze so start with about 5 to 10 items.
Put in the freezer for a few hours.. I am shockingly impatient and kept trying to freeze more layers too fast and everything kept falling to the bottom.. it really is much more fun if you let it completely freeze.
When its frozen, add your second layer of water, about half way and 5-10 more treasures.

Again into the freezer.
Third layer of water and final layer of treasures... let freeze. NOW THE FUN PART! trying to release the treasures!






I gave my kids some spoons, a bowl of warm water, syringes, and then left them to it :) They started in the shade so it wouldnt melt too fast, then moved it out into the sun to see how fast it would melt. Takes ages in winter :)







Great for exploring water, cause and effect, fine motor and patience.