Evergreens are beautiful and a wonderful symbol of the winter season. They aren’t just for Christmas! Create a nature ice melt science activity to explore the senses and enjoy the beauty of the winter season. Such a simple science and sensory activity all in one that will really keep the kids busy. Winter science activities are a must!
WINTER’S NATURE ICE MELT SCIENCE ACTIVITY
WINTER NATURE ACTIVITIES
Our beautiful evergreen ice melt is both science and sensory play! Winter is the perfect time of the year to examine evergreen branches and learn more about some of the different types of trees.
We just cut down a Christmas tree and had some extra branches. They smelled wonderful and had a great texture. Or maybe you are ready to take your tree down and want to experiment with it! You can even go for a nature walk and find a few branches to take home.
YOU CAN ALSO MAKE CRYSTAL EVERGREEN BRANCHES FOR CHEMISTRY!
Why not set up a simple activity for examining and observing them. Gather your science tools and get started! We also made a fabulous evergreen oobleck too! Exploring nature is great fun for young children.
Ice Melt Activities For Preschoolers
I love ice melt activities for young kids. We use them all year round and have a terrific collection of ice activities for preschoolers already!
Here are a few of our favorites…
Introduce some simple science concepts to this ice melt activity by talking about how the water changes from a liquid to a solid when it is frozen, and then back again to a liquid. What differences do you notice? What happens to the frozen water when it is not as cold?
CLICK HERE TO GRAB YOUR WINTER ACTIVITY PACK!
Evergreen Ice Melt
Supplies:
- Bowl
- Large container
- Evergreen branches
- Cranberries
- Pinecones
- Snowflake buttons {optional}
- Salt {optional}
- Science tools: magnifying glass, tweezers, baster
How To Set Up Your Ice Melt Activity:
STEP 1. Freeze the items you have collected in layers in the freezer.
Use a plastic {or glass like ours} and freeze one layer at a time so there are several layers to melt through. Let each layer freeze completely before adding the next.
Add any other nature items you might have too! Flowers are pretty in ice. We added the snowflakes for a winter themed touch.
STEP 2. When you are ready, run room temperature water around the outside of the bowl. It should release easily. Make sure to set in a shallow pan or tray to catch the melting water. I will often use a large clear plastic bin.
STEP 3. Now time to melt your ice.
We examined ours both flat side down and flat side up! Then I added a bowl of warm water with a baster for melting. We added a small bowl of salt, but he preferred the water!
ALSO CHECK OUT: What Makes Ice Melt Faster Experiment
Learning Through Evergreen Ice Melt
This is truly an easy indoor winter activity to set up and a nice way to use natural materials you already have or can gather outside.
We love simple ice melts for talking about temperature change, irreversible, and reversible change. These ice melt play activities encourage kids’ observation skills, fine motor skills, and a bit of patience. All are great skills for a budding scientist.
I always make sure to include a magnifying glass for examining the contents of our activities a little closer. There are so many areas for discussion regarding pine tree needles, seeds, and pine cones!
It’s also a great opportunity to discuss forrest habitats, hibernation, and animals while engaging in sensory play! Sensory play has so many important benefits for young children.
The finished ice melt science activity makes an awesome water sensory bin! The water will be pretty chilly, so go ahead and add warm water for extended play! Scoops and small bowls are a perfect addition for engaging in dramatic play or for exploring filling and dumping!
Set up a simple ice melt science activity for multiple age kids to enjoy together too! There are so many variations you can make for seasons, holiday, and occasions. Another favorite for winter is our Frozen Car Rescue Ice Melt or our Arctic Ice Melt.
More Evergreen Activities
If you have more evergreens handy, don’t let the fun stop. Try an evergreen observation activity or one of these neat science activities.
TRY A NATURE ICE MELT SCIENCE ACTIVITY TO EXPLORE WINTER
Click on the image below or on the link for more easy winter science activities for kids.
Oh this is such a lovely idea 🙂 need to make some room imy freezer so I can try it with my son!
These are good ideas, but……
I am so tired that these are labeled STEM, STEAM, etc. activities. I taught for many years beginning in early 1970s. These are NOT new ideas. I had many of these in grade school in the 1950’s. The difference is that today’s curriculum is vanishing down to just math and reading. People are thrilled to do these activities, not realizing that’s what we “old” teachers had all along. Experiments, logic, etc. are NOT a new creation. It’s just that they were basically eliminated from curriculum for so long.