Setting up a melting ice activity is a great afternoon play and learning activity for kids! There are so many things you can freeze into a big block of ice. Kids love to rescue all the frozen goodies learning a little bit about science along the way. This melting ice activity will really keep them busy at any time of the year! Check out all our easy kid’s science ideas for great play.
Melting Ice Activity and Car Rescue for Kid’s Science
Easy Melting Ice Activity and Science Experiment!
Melting ice is such a simple but important water science activity for young children. We make our water science experiments playful like this frozen car rescue! Ice melt experiments are neat for kids to see the change happening. Our frozen car rescue keeps the fun and learning exciting as each car is rescued! We have tons of great ideas for ice melting sensory science play here including the dino eggs below!
Frozen Car Rescue Set Up
This frozen car rescue is simple to make! All you need is a handful of cars and a milk carton. Cut the top off of your milk carton, add a few cars and a small amount of water. Pop it into the freezer and keep repeating in small layers until you have filled the milk carton! This way your frozen car rescue has plenty of cars to find until the very end.
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YOU WILL NEED:
- Eyedroppers, meat basters, or squeeze bottles
- Toy Cars
- Milk carton
STEP 1: Using an empty milk or juice carton, fill with a couple of inches of water and drop in a car. Put it in the freezer for an hour.
STEP 2: Repeat in layers until the carton is filled!
STEP 3: Tear away the carton!
TIP: To control the water mess, place the ice block in a container!
STTEP 4: Set out the container with a bowl of warm water to use to melt the ice!
PRACTICE FINE MOTOR SKILLS
This frozen car rescue melting ice activity and science experiment is awesome for encouraging fine motor skills. Give your child eye droppers, squeeze or squirt bottles, and basters to melt the ice. Anytime you can get little fingers working is great for practicing fine motor skills and strengthening hands.
If you have a vehicle fan you might also enjoy this sand foam activity with construction trucks. Adding a sensory element like sand foam or ice is a great way to connect with your kiddo and add a fun theme they really love such as cars and trucks!
SIMPLE ICE SCIENCE
Although this makes a great independent play opportunity, adults have been known to enjoy it too. If you are sitting with your child, this is a great opportunity to encourage observation skills. What do you see? What do you feel? What is happening?
Frozen car rescue is a great chance to talk about reversible change!
MORE ICE ACTIVITIES FOR KIDS
- Icy Dino Eggs
- Spooky Hands
- 3 Melting Ice Experiments
- Icy Ocean Melt
- Icy Flower Activity
- Star Wars Ice Melt
Melting Ice Activity for Early Learning Play
Looking for easy science process information and free journal pages?
We have you covered…
—>>> FREE Science Process Pack
Table Hockey Homemade Game for Fine Motor Skills
Wanda Tracey
This is a great idea to teach them hands on about ice.I think when they see it and how ices melts it would sink in and stick with them.
littlebins
Hands-on is the best!
Nicole
Love this – currently creating our ice block – outside, because it is 8 degrees out!
I think I may put the block of ice in the bath tub, so that the mess is contained! 🙂
Joanne Davis
I have used plastic letters and items that begin with that letter as a fun way to build beginning sounds foundations. You can also use objects that rhyme. I have also added salt for children to practice using a spoon. Discussion of how salt is used on the sidewalks and the roads occurs naturally. I place the frozen ice in a container for easy clean up.