Wee Inspirations

Ice Surprise

  1. The basic idea

    Take some plastic tubs, food colouring or paint, and a selection of different things to ‘hide’: ribbons, small plastic toys, leaves and flowers – anything that can be frozen in the coloured water and ‘found’ again as the chunks of ice melt.

  2. Over to you, wee one

    Day one: Play with the water and the colours and the tubs – give your wee one lots of time to explore, then ask ‘what should we hide in the water?’ and pop the tubs in the freezer.

    Day two is about exploring those chunks of coloured ice: bashing, melting, dropping, go wild! Who remembers what we hid in different tubs? and showing you’re paying attention to what they’re telling you.

  3. Cheeky bonuses

    • Exploring science and colour mixing
    • Decision making builds confidence
    • Develops executive function – planning, working memory, predicting outcomes

  4. Variations

    • Use the coloured chunks of ice to ‘paint’ as they start to melt
    • Add cups of warm water to ice play
    • Try hiding some bicarb in one chunk and pour vinegar over it for some fizzy fun!

  5. And remember…

    This is a great opportunity to ask lots of “I wonder” questions, which are great for stimulating curiosity. It’s all about helping your wee one fall in love with learning.