Ice and Preschool Curriculum

I love using ice with kids! Kids naturally gravitate toward water play so why not introduce some of its other forms! Here are some different areas of the curriculum we have used ice!

Ice and Preschool Curriculum:
Animal Habitats: What animals live in cold climates? Filling large bins or a table with ice and providing small plastic animals that live in these icy climates will immediately engage preschoolers. Why do animals look the way they do? How do these animals keep warm? Kids can get really creative with answers! We also like to provide real pictures of the polar animals nearby as well a great books they tell kids the real story!
Science Experiments: Did you know simple experiments with salt and ice get kids thinking? Not always understanding exactly how and why through experimentation we motivate out kids by creating a sense of wonder!
Materials: Ice cube, paper plate, table salt, a small length of string

Procedure: Set ice cube on the plate and pour table salt on top. Now lay a string across the ice and wait. Gently lift off the string with both hands and you will be lifting the ice cube as well! What kind of questions would you ask to get kids thinking?
What Can Water Do?: Fill two latex gloves, one with ice cubes and another with water. Ask the kids to feel them. How does each one look? Why does it look that way? Which one is water? Allow the ice to melt on the glove during the day and see what happens.
Making ice pops with kids really helps them to to use all their senses and how the properties of water change.
Art Activity: Color water with different shades of food coloring or Bio Color. Then freeze them in trays. After they are frozen let the kids slide them around on paper to make gorgeous watery art!

What activities do you like with ice?