Summer Hack: Freezing Your Kid’s Toys
If you’re looking for a fun way to entertain your little ones this summer—we’ve got an excellent project for you! Freezing your kid’s toys may sound unconventional – but it’s a great way to help them to cool off and learn about the science behind melting ice. We found this awesome project from Jennifer Perkins and had to share it with you.
The most challenging part of this project will be finding room in your freezer, so make sure there’s enough space for your block before you begin.
Here’s what you’ll need to make your own excavation ice cube:
- Water
- Plastic toys (tiny dinosaurs work perfectly here!)
- A large Tupperware bin
- Space in your freezer
- Food coloring (optional)
- Excavation tools (toy hammer, shovel, spoon, spray bottle)
Before you start: we recommend freezing your block in layers. If you try to freeze the block all at once, the toys will float to the top.
Step 1
Take your large plastic container and fill it one-third of the way with water. At this point you can also add a small amount of food coloring for a cool effect.
Step 2
Add plastic toys and freeze.
Step 3
Once the first layer of water is frozen, add another layer of water and toys. Repeat this step until the plastic container is full of ice!
Step 4
Remove your ice block from the container—we recommend placing it in a wading pool or bathtub for easy clean-up.
Step 5
Let the fun begin! Kids can use their excavation tools to break and melt the block using different approaches. For example: does cold water work better than warm water? Or are some tools more successful than others?
More Ideas
What’s great about this activity is you can create larger or smaller blocks of ice, depending on how many children are participating in the activity. And, you can also create different themes! Maybe your children really like sharks and sea life, or perhaps they really love farm animals? The possibilities are endless.
When you’re done keep cool inside with your premium A/C unit from Columbia Heating & Cooling! Didn’t think we could do a whole post without mentioning HVAC, did you?
Image courtesy of Crumb Bums.