Ice rings

Children can help make an ice ring one session by gathering herbs and flowers, filling a container with water and putting it in the freezer (or just watching), then on another session they can see what has happened to it when it freezes, and then watch what happens over the course of the session as it melts.

Equipment required

• Cake ring
• Water
• Herbs and flowers
• A freezer

What do we do?

• Place herbs and flowers in a cake ring
• Fill with water and place in a freezer overnight (or two)
• In the morning remove from cake tin and hang at child height
• Children can use all their sense to explore the feel, smell and taste of this hanging object, and over time can watch what happens to it as it melts

What are we learning?

• Using all our senses - see, touch, smell, taste (and hearing if there are two rings banging together in the wind)
• Sensory experiences - cold, wet, smell
• What happens when it melts?  Does it melt faster in a sunny area or shaded area?

Links to Te Whaariki

• Strand 5 - Exploration.  Goal 4 - Children experience an environment where they develop working theories for making sense of the natural, social, physical, and material worlds.