ICE SCULPTURES
After you take the frozen ice out of you containers you can explore with the cold ice blocks on the table. Watch as it glides across the table, look at it with a magnifying glass, shine light through the ice, touch it and see what happens to the ice as it melts from the heat of your hand. After you have explored the frozen water set the ice block on a cookie sheet with sides or a shallow pan. Using table salt or coarse salt – or both – sprinkle the ice with salt. Let the salt sit for awhile and watch as it ‘eats’ away at the ice. Shine a flashlight through the ice, use the magnifying glasses again and look at the new shapes made by the salt.
Add color to the ice sculptures and watch as the color makes its way through the crevices created by the salt.If you want to make a permanent reminder of this experiment use paper or paper towel to make an imprint of the colors on your ice sculpture.
ICE-CAVATING
This is an idea sent in by Colleen, Mom of Finn (Bears class)
Does your child like to excavate and dig in the dirt? Give them a block of ice with a toy or some kind of “treasure” frozen inside. Let them figure out how to get it out. Chip away with a spoon, some kind of wooden or metal tool, a small toy hammer and chisel. Ask if they can think of another way to get the toy out. Look at the toy with a magnifying glass and with light shining through it. Make shadows …. Explore!
SALT PAINTING
This is a fun art project and by adding a small drop of watercolors to a squiggle of salt, you can demonstrate capillary action. This is the property of liquids that allows them to move in small spaces without external help. The same principle is shown when water “spreads out” on a paper towel, or a flower in colored water takes on the color of the water. The water colors aren’t only a science lesson, they’re super pretty!
1. Lay a piece of heavy paper (it can be construction paper, cardstock or anything else that won’t warp when wet) on top of some newspaper. With a bottle of glue, “draw” whatever patterns you desire. You could write a message, or draw a nice Valentine heart, or just some Picasso-esque squiggles. Make sure the glue lines are pretty thick, but not big puddle2. Pour normal table salt over the wet glue. You’ll need a lot of salt for this. Make sure it gets onto all the glue. You can do this by tilting the paper after the salt is on it. Then shake off all the excess salt onto the newspaper or into a plastic container.3. Using watercolors, paint the salt whatever colors you please. Make sure the paint is nice and watery so the paint brush doesn’t actually have to touch the salt that often. Don’t let it get too wet though, or it’ll wash the salt away. I recommend experimentation.I love the intensity of the color you get with this technique, especially against a darker paper, and the tie-dye-like effect. Happy art making! https://mommypoppins.com/content/weework-kids-craft-easy-salt-painting
SNOW ICE CREAM
Becky, Mom of Wyatt, Bea and Wesley (Orcas class) sent in this idea.Make Snow Ice Cream while we still have some snow outside.. Easy and delicious. Use half and half, sugar, vanilla and, of course, snow. The kids loved it!
PICNIC PARTY
Have a picnic in the living room. (Or under the dining room table, on the bed in the bedroom.). Bring out a table cloth to sit on and let them decide what food to have for the picnic.Decide on a theme. Stuffed animals are often guests at these picnics. How about a Pajama Picnic where everyone wears their jammies? Or a fancy picnic, a clothes on backwards picnic? Then you can read a book while you finish your picnic treats.
SINK AND FLOAT
Always a fun way to spend the afternoon. Fill up a storage container with water. One where you can see through the container is best. Set it on a a plastic garbage bag and towel to absorb the splashed water. Go on a treasure hunt around the house to find items that may “sink” and items that may “float”. Decide what items will go in the “sink’ collection and what items are in the ‘float’ collection. You can make a graph and see if they were correct with their decision on what items would sink and what items would float.
FREEZE DANCING
Play some music and when it stops everyone freezes. Decide on how they should freeze — like an animal, like a letter of the alphabet, something silly, a yoga position, etc.
RED LIGHT GREEN LIGHT is also a fun version of this stop and go kind of game.
Enjoy your day with the kids. The snow will go away and we will be back to ’normal’ soon and this will just be a memory. A fun memory!
