Salt & Watercolor Ice Sculptures

What you'll need

• A small plastic container or empty milk carton for freezing ice
• Water
• Coarse salt or kosher salt in a small bowl
• Liquid watercolors or watered-down food coloring
• A dropper or small spoon
• A shallow tray or baking dish to catch drips
• A towel for little hands

How to make it

1. 1

   The night before, fill a small plastic container with water and freeze it solid. A rectangular block is easiest for small hands to work on.

2. 2

   When you are ready to play, run warm water over the outside of the container for a few seconds, then pop the ice block out onto the tray.

3. 3

   Invite your child to sprinkle salt across the top of the ice. Watch together as the salt begins to melt tiny grooves into the frozen surface.

4. 4

   Fill the dropper with one color and drip it onto the salted ice. The color will race down the melted channels like a tiny river.

5. 5

   Try a second and third color. Ask your child which path each color takes and why some lines cross or stop.

6. 6

   Add more salt to a new spot and observe how the ice changes shape. The block will slowly transform into a colorful, glistening sculpture.

7. 7

   When the activity winds down, let your child touch the smooth and bumpy parts of the ice and describe how it feels.