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:
- Fill small containers of different sizes with water, and place them in a freezer overnight.
- Protect your work area with a large towel. Place a large cookie sheet on the towel.
- Remove the ice from the containers, and place the ice on the large cookie sheet.
- Look at how the ice froze in the shapes of the containers.
- 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?
- 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.)
- 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.
