For Super Hot Days: Play with Ice Outside

With the hot, hot weather here, we needed a cool activity for outside fun so the kids played and discovered with some big ice blocks. It felt so good we might have to do it a few more times this week!

playing with ice outsideA bit of preplanning was needed for this, so I filled 3 different plastic deli containers with water and popped them into the freezer overnight, a small, medium, and large. We set the containers outside and then carried out a large bin to put them in and a small one with some water. The ice slid out of the containers easily after only a couple of minutes. There was no need to run them under hot water. Before I got back outside with a few tools the girls were already feeling the ice, sliding the chunks in the bin, and trying to lift them up. Little Sister could hold the little one but asked for help with the next size because “It’s too medium for me.” That made sense, because she wasn’t talking about the big one.

playing with ice outsideUsing a small teapot, big eyedropper, some spoons and other little dishes, the kids squirted and poured water over the chunks to help them melt. The ice on the outside turned clearer and clearer, leaving a white part in the center that looked like an egg. After about 10 minutes, the small circle of ice was the size of a hockey puck. No one complained about cold hands or water that splashed onto clothes.

playing with ice outsideThe pouring, squirting, stirring, lifting and other actions didn’t use big muscles, but the small muscles got well exercised. Big Sister got plenty of action going off to get more tools as she thought of them. There was a good deal of talking about the ice getting smaller, the water splashing, and more. Both kids were using a small space together so there was some negotiating about who was using what tool and some reminders were needed about how to ask for a turn with something. As a learning activity, this one wasn’t amazing or surprising; instead, it was sort of ordinary. That’s important too. But it was still lots of fun and lovely and cool on a hot day. Is this a play activity your child would enjoy?

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