ice play

Last week, I brought some muffin trays into my classroom and we talked about how long we thought it might take water to freeze. We speculated about whether or not our ice muffins would freeze faster in the shade or in the sun. We added food colouring, a dash of glitter, and a pinch of sequins just because it was fun.

Within an hour, our muffins were ready for some full-on sensory play. I sat aside and just observed their play and listened to their wonderful observations. They stacked them, sorted them by colour, arranged them in patterns, used words like slippery, wet, cold, melting, and so on. They invented a game kind of like curling but messier. 

The next day I brought in a donut pan and they played ice wedding. The heart-shaped cake pan was also a hit (the ice from it became a hanging decoration on the tree outside our classroom window). 

At the end of each play period, we stuck them all in a container, and set it back outside for later adventures. Of course, a few muffins were kept in the classroom so we could watch them melt. 

We created a rainbow hanger by adding food colouring to six muffins, then laying a piece of yarn through them. They also hang on the tree outside, twirling and reminding us that Spring is still a ways in the future.

Check out this lovely ice craft over at Twig and Toadstool!