Race Car Ice Rescue
Ingredients:
– Small plastic race cars (or other mini vehicles)
– Ice cube trays, silicone molds, or plastic containers
– Water
– Food coloring (optional for colorful ice)
– Table salt
– Warm water
– Small tools (toothbrushes, spoons, toy hammers, etc.)
– Tray or bin (to contain the melt mess)
Directions:
1. Gather your small plastic race cars and choose your ice mold – this could be ice cube trays, silicone molds, or plastic containers.
2. Place one race car in each mold or container.
3. Fill each mold with water, ensuring the car is fully submerged. If you want to make it more fun, add a few drops of food coloring to the water and stir gently.
4. Place the molds in the freezer and freeze overnight to create solid ice blocks.
5. Once frozen, take the molds out of the freezer and carefully pop the frozen car blocks out onto a tray or bin.
6. Set out a bowl of warm water, some table salt, and your child’s small tools to begin the rescue mission.
7. Challenge your child to rescue the race cars by using the warm water to melt the ice, sprinkling salt on the ice to speed up the melting process, and chipping away at the ice with tools.
8. As they work, engage in a conversation about how salt helps to melt the ice faster and discuss the science behind freezing and melting, perfect for sparking curiosity!
Tips & Variations:
– For added fun, try different shapes or sizes of molds, or mix up the colors of food coloring to create vibrant ice blocks.
– You can turn this into a timed challenge, encouraging your child to see who can rescue the cars the fastest or create a race against the clock!
