Your kids will love sensory experience while exploring the properties of thin ice with this indoor winter nature activity!
Indoor activities are a must during winter and you may be surprised to know that I frequently let my kids play with water inside. This particular icy indoor winter activity was inspired by a recent outdoor trip.
We took a walk in the park during the winter break and the lake was covered with an ultra thin covering of ice. They loved poking their sticks in it and throwing rocks onto it to see it crack.
MORE: The simple pleasures of tossing rocks
When I started to feel the need to go indoors where it was warm, I promised the kids we would make our own thin ice at home. Playing with ice cubes and water in a bucket is part of our regular summer routine (see five fun ways to play with ice) but now was our chance to make it part of our winter fun, too!
I filled several containers with a few inches of water and stuck them in the freezer. How long it takes to freeze into a thin layer will depend on your own freezer settings.
Check it after an hour, and then you can gauge how much longer you need to keep it in there. You want it around ¼ to ½ inch think so it doesn't melt too quickly once the play begins, but it's not too thick to cave immediately.
I put towels down for easy clean up and to protect the floor. I gave the kids chopsticks since they didn't bring their sticks home and gave them a small bowl of stones to add to their play. Of course, they added a few toy cars, as they usually do. This activity kept them busy for quite some time and they didn't even fight over it (miracle of miracles).
It would be fun to combine thin ice play with a snow vehicle sensory tray, but we didn't have any snow that day.
MORE: Combine literacy and ice for this Frozen Word Scramble
Natalie says
I love how you manage to bring outdoors (even chilly outdoors) indoors. Looks like a fun mix of science and play.
PragmaticMom says
Thin ice around a pond always makes me feel nervous so I like how you brought it indoors. Did you get a ton of snow yesterday? We got pounded!
Erica MomandKiddo says
We got a few inches, but the rain today is going to wash it all away.
Jeanette Nyberg says
Great idea! And it appeals to our lack of patience since you don't have to let the ice melt all the way.
maryanne @ mama smiles says
This is really cool! And a way for my kids to enjoy "winter" in California. Hope you are staying warm this week!!!
Cerys @ Rainy Day Mum says
I love this - Now just need the temperature to drop so that we have some ice to explore as both my kids will love doing this.
Thank you so much for linking up to Tuesday Tots last week and just letting you know that I'm featuring this over on Rainy Day Mum this week.