Science
Ice rescue
- Builds: Observing melting
- 15 min
- Ages 2–5
- Calm
- A little tidy-up
Before work: freeze 2–3 small toys in a tub of water.
From the house
- The frozen tub
- A tray or baking dish
- A cup of warm (not hot) water
- A spoon
- A pinch of salt
How to play
- Pop the ice block onto the tray. “Oh no, the toys are stuck!”
- They spoon warm water over the ice and watch it melt.
- Sprinkle salt on top and listen for tiny cracks.
- Cheer every toy they rescue.
Fit it to your child
- Easier: Freeze just one big toy and let them pour from a cup instead of using a spoon.
- Harder: Put two ice cubes on a plate, salt one and leave the other, and they guess which will melt first.
Words to use
- cold
- ice
- melt
- warm
- stuck
Why it helps
They watch solid ice turn into liquid water and find out what makes it melt faster, cause and effect they can see and touch.
Grown-up eyes: Stay within arm’s reach and test the water on your wrist first. Use toys too big to swallow.