Summer Ice Art Scene - Best Toys 4 Toddlers

The temperature is heating up. Summer’s here. And, your child is ready to cool things down and create a masterpiece – with ice.

Ice Summer Art

That’s right, ice. With the warmer weather, ice is the perfect art material. With a drop or two of color, your child has instant melting paints.

Start by asking your child about sites in the summer. Green grass? Swimming pools? Sunshine?

Your child will take those ideas and turn them into an icy watercolor painting.

Art and Science

This isn’t just a summer craft for kids. It’s also a science activity. As your child paints the ice melts.

Add in an extra layer of fun and time how long it takes each color to melt or ask your kiddo to predict which one will melt first.

Learning and Development

Color recognition and identification
Science—states of matter, color mixing
Fine motor skills—eye-hand coordination
Problem-solving
Identify summer items or summer scenes

Art Materials

Ice cube tray
Food coloring
Water
White card stock or water color paper
A marker
Optional: Craft sticks

How-To Steps

Drip a drop or two of food coloring into each compartment of an ice cube tray. You can also make this into a color mixing activity by combining the primary colors (red, blue and yellow) to make the secondary ones (orange, purple and green). Or, your child can mix the colors with the cubes on the paper.
Add water and freeze. Ask your child to predict how long it will take for the cubes to freeze.
Check on the cubes.
Take the cubes out, when they’re frozen. Pop them out of the tray.
Draw a summer picture on the paper with a marker.
Push the cubes on the paper to make them melt. If your child isn’t into getting her hands covered in ice paint, she can use the craft sticks to push them.

After the Activity

Talk about your child’s predictions, and discuss if they came true. Ask your child why the water turned into a solid, and then turned back into a liquid. This can include subjects such as the summer, heat/warmth, and states of matter.

You can make a few new cubes, and try this art activity again. Next time use different colors or add glitter into the mix. Or, use the leftover cubes to make abstract melting ice art.