By: Becky Will (teachingtotes.com/haverhill)
A 90 degree spring day is unexpected and well welcomed! However, when it’s THAT hot, I tend to get my kids in a body of water if possible for everyone’s sanity. Unfortunately for me, not many splash parks and ponds are open just yet so I had to think outside of the box!
On this particular Saturday, I didn’t have much time to plan an activity so I grabbed an ice cube tray, food coloring and a pipette. I had my son add a few drops of each color (and mix a few secondary and tertiary colors) in each hole. We then used the pipette to fill the ice cube tray holes with water (using the faucet is a little too aggressive and the water will overflow the holes into the next causing colors to blend!). When he was done, I placed the tray into the freezer.
We headed outside to play, but we hit that period of time (as I predicted) in the afternoon where everyone was hot, bored and in need of an activity outside of screen-time. I remembered the colored ice and grabbed the tray along with white paper (the sturdier, the better) and I found a good place outside on a small kiddie table.
I placed the items on the table and just let them explore. They each took turns with colors and moving it across the page. For my daughter who is 21 months, I spoke a lot about the different colors and used words like “cold”, “ice”, “water”, and “melt” to help her describe what was happening. My son, who is 7, lost his mind in excitement. He was blending colors and then requested a sponge and pipette. For him it was all about the process.
If you are not familiar with process art, and its benefits, I suggest you read this quick article from Messy Little Monster’s blog that sums it up nicely. As an educator for 10+ years, I LOVE ART (and got my Master’s degree in Art Education because I love it THAT much!).
As a teacher and mom, I started offering art projects that were more about process than product a few years into my teaching journey because I wanted the kids to have creative freedom, room for experimentation, to be emotionally invested in their projects, and be able to get lost in their imagination, problem solve and share ideas with me and their peers. I’ve never looked back! Also, I feel like it requires less time to prep a process art activity, which is A+ in my book. Simple projects like ice painting or any process/open-ended art project can open a lot of doors for your kids and make you feel like a rockstar parent!
Here are some other great ideas involving art and ice:
Did you know that Teaching Totes include an easy, simple art/craft project for your child? Here are some art-related totes from your specialists to check out for your budding artists: