Wednesday at the Kitchen Table: Ice Fossils

A lot of the games and activities that we enjoy are things my kids come up with on their own.  I am just the facilitator that guides them in their play and provide the equipment for the explorations.

Ice Fossils is an activity that my 9 year old son came up with and his two younger brothers also found interesting.  It kept them busy for several hours over the course of three days. Please note that this activity is for kids 8 and older.  Adult supervision is required for this activity.

Materials needed:

A medium to large plastic container
a small toy
water
a toy hammer (I let them use a mallet I use for tenderizing meat)
a short flat blade screwdriver
a butter knife
a work surface
several kitchen or bath towels

Instructions:

Place a toy in the plastic container and fill with water.  Place in freezer until solid.
When the water has frozen, dislodge it from it's container and set on a towel on a table or other work surface. The towel provides a stable surface so the ice doesn't slip around.Change out the towel as the ice melts to keep the work area dry.  If it's warm outside, set it on the grass.

Let the child use a butter knife, or hammer and "chisel" to chip away at the ice to get to the "fossil" toy.  This activity can be adapted to smaller children.  Provide a large bowl full of water and a measuring cup.  The child can scoop the warm water out and pour it over the ice to melt it down until the toy "fossil" is revealed.