Facebook Tracking

Activity Quick Finder:

Brrr-illiant Building Fun!



Congratulations to The Budding Builder for being named one of Dr. Toy's 100 Best Children's Products of 2012. To celebrate, we're sharing an activity from the award-winning title!

Ice Castles & Igloos, Oh My!

What does it take for pieces of ice to stick together? Try this activity and find out!

A little inspiration for ice castle princes and princesses...

What You'll Need:

  • Freezer
  • Gloves or mittens
  • Ice cube trays and small plastic containers of various sizes
  • Large cookie sheet
  • Large towel
  • Saltshaker with salt
  • Water

What to Do:

  1. Fill small containers of different sizes with water, and place them in a freezer overnight.
  2. Protect your work area with a large towel. Place a large cookie sheet on the towel.
  3. Remove the ice from the containers, and place the ice on the large cookie sheet.
  4. Look at how the ice froze in the shapes of the containers.
  5. Try to build a castle or an igloo with the ice. You will need gloves or mittens. Do the ice shapes stack the same way blocks do?
  6. Sprinkle the ice with a saltshaker. The salt helps the ice pieces stick together. Do you know why this happens? (Salt melts ice, and the melted ice sometimes refreezes, making things stick to the ice.)
  7. Can you think of other ways to keep the pieces of ice together? Try a few!

For more fun-filled building activities, from creating a fairy-tale cottage to constructing a toothpick sculpture, check out The Budding Builder.



Related Products


More Activities to Try


×