Ice Experiments for Preschoolers
- Execute an experiment that involves melting ice cubes to help preschoolers learn about liquids and solids. Put ice cubes in paper cups and place the cups around various areas in the preschool classroom. Encourage the children to observe how fast each cube melts. On a sunny day, place an ice cube on a windowsill and ask preschoolers to guess whether or not the ice cube will melt and how long it will take to melt. Place an ice cube on the sidewalk and one in the shade. Observe which ice cube melts the fastest and ask preschoolers why one melts faster than the other.
- Salt lowers the freezing point of water. Perform an experiment with ice and salt to show preschoolers the effect salt has on the temperature of ice. Add crushed ice to a paper cup. Use a thermometer to determine the original temperature of the crushed ice. Write that temperature on a whiteboard or chalkboard. Ask the preschoolers what they think will happen to the ice if salt is added. Add five tablespoons of salt and use a spoon to mix the salt into the ice. Preschoolers can observe the ice as it melts. Check the temperature of the ice every minute for five minutes and record the temperatures. Discuss why the ice melted.
- Fill the ice cube tray with water and add 3 to 5 drops of food coloring to each section to create blue, yellow, green and red water. Put the ice trays in the freezer until completely frozen. Set out 5 clear plastic cups. Explain to children that you will put different colored ice cubes in the plastic cups to observe the colors they create. Ask the children which color combinations of ice cubes they would like to add to each cup. Encourage children to predict the colors that will be created when the colors are mixed together and observe the resulting colors as the ice cubes melt. Create a chart to record the results.
- Perform a sink or float experiment that helps children practice making predictions. The experiment also demonstrates that ice floats when placed in water or oil. This happens because the ice cube is less dense than the liquids. Ask preschoolers what will happen to ice if you add it to a glass of water. Ask the children will it sink or will it float? Add a few ice cubes to a glass of water. Also perform the experiment using a glass of vegetable oil. Ask children to predict whether or not the ice cube will sink in oil. Place the ice cubes in the oil. Observe the results.
