Alaskan Kids Play with Ice?!

  I love Pinterest, have I said that enough? I might need an intervention. I check it at least once a day. But if I did not check it, where would I get all these cool ideas!!! That's what I keep on telling myself at least. So yes, this idea was not my original idea. Play with ice. Why didn't I think of that? Better yet, what will someone think of next to play with! I did not pin the idea on a board so I can not link it back to the original pinner. Sorry.

   I'm homeschooling Kaden for preschool to see if homeschooling will work out for us. So we used the ice for science experiments as part of our schooling. It's been cold enough where we can fill ice trays and put them outside. Kaden kept on checking on the trays to see if they were frozen. Ah, the innocence and excitement of youth. When they were ready, I put one in a bowl by the fire and one in a bowl in the kitchen. He kept on checking on them and noticing which one was melting faster. We talked about the reason behind this. His excitement excited me!

  I put a bowl of water and the bowl of ice on a cookie tray. I doubled up a tablecloth under the tray so I wouldn't freak out and nag about them spilling water. We counted to see how many ice cubes it took to make the water in the bowl overflow. Then, I let the kids at it. I kid you not, they spent an hour playing with the ice! Even Kora got in on the action! I gave them spoons to transfer the ice. They loved putting their hands in and grabbing the ice. I had to make sure I watched Kora though because she was trying to put the ice in her mouth.

 Kaden then added more ice to the bowl next to the fire. I thought it was going to be messier, but they kept the water and ice contained pretty well. It was great for Brooke to work on her motor movements as she transferred the ice cubes with a spoon and then the spoon to her mouth. She likes to pretend she is eating a lot. The kids loved grabbing the ice with their hands. The nice part is that we were in a warm home so when they got cold, they went and sat by the fire. If you are brave, try food coloring in the ice cubes. Not sure if that would stain or not. I'm proud of myself for letting them play with water in the living room. I am going to try colored ice cubes in the bath though! Saw that on Pinterest!