Build Mini Ice Sculptures!

Get ready for a cool activity! Have your child build an ice sculpture that's so fast, fun, and messy that she may not even realize she's learning a lot about science.

Materials:

• Plastic containers of different shapes and sizes
• Food coloring
• Kosher salt and table salt in salt shakers
• Turkey baster and container of water
• Gloves/mittens

Directions:

1. Several days before this activity, freeze water in many different plastic containers. For extra interest, add food coloring to some of the water.
2. Unmold the ice on a table. It's about to get messy and wet, so you might want to do this outside.
3. Have your child build sculptures with the ice, if there's more than one child challenge them to work together.
4. Let your child experiment with the salt and water to see how it affects the ice. (Salt helps the pieces stick together and water, well you get the idea.)
5. Have gloves and mittens available to protect hands.

After your child sees first-hand (literally) how such a simple thing as salt can have such a big effect on ice, she'll be looking at the world wondering how other objects interact. Without even knowing it, she just conducted a science experiment and art project all in one!