Nature on Ice
Ready
- Loaf/Lasagna pan
- Water
- Freezer
- Nature materials of your choosing:
– Flowers
– Grass
– Leaves
– Shells
– Pine cones
– Sticks
– Pebbles
Set
- Collect the nature items you will freeze and set them aside.
- Partially fill your pan with water and place it in the freezer to freeze.
- Position your chosen natural items atop the first frozen layer. Reserve a few of your natural items for later use.
- Fill the remainder of the pan with water.
- Return your pan to the freezer until solid.
Play!
- Remove the finished “ice chunk,” and place it on a tray.
- Start playing!
- Place your remaining (unfrozen) natural items next to your frozen items for comparing and contrasting.
Play your way! What else can you do with these open-ended materials?
Why Play This Way?
You know how the thing you can’t have is often the thing you want the most? When you suspend natural items in ice, it almost begs children to engage in extended, explorative play. They love the sensory experience of touching the cold, wet ice and will strengthen their powers of observation as they play.
Better with a Book
At LᐧMᐧNᐧOᐧPlay!, we love to pair our play with a great book.
Nature on Ice
Extension Activities
Choose your own adventure! Select any of the extension activities or resources below and see where your play takes you next. They all build on the same play theme to extend your learning in even more ways.
