Any kid age two and over will enjoy poking around in a block of ice that is filled with tiny toys and going on an Ice Block Treasure Hunt! It’s a great activity on a hot summer day.
For my son, I just froze some of the toys he already owned (sequins, beads, little plastic guys), but you could make this project really exciting and freeze some not-yet-seen items.
All you need to do is take a plastic container fill it about 3/4 full with water and throw in the toys. If your child is doing this with you, my cousin Patsy pointed-out you could play “sink or float” while you do it.
Then pop the whole container of water and toys into the freezer and enjoy listening to your toddler ask “is it ready yet?” for the next several hours.
Once completely frozen (or semi-frozen works, too), head outdoors and let your child enjoy going on an icy treasure hunt to get the toys out of the frozen block.
I gave my son a plastic knife to explore and excavate with, but more safety-minded parents might want to find something less sharp to arm their toddlers with for this portion of the activity.
It was really fun when the ice block split into two pieces, but was still attached via the strand of broken Mardi Gras beads.
My son came up with the fun idea of using our wet hands to make handprints on the steps. Which obviously, I loved.
We used the chunks of ice that broke off to make drawings, and at his prompting, I wrote our names.
And while I would be lying if I said I wouldn’t have minded it being a few degrees cooler, it was a really fun way to spend a summer’s day with my son.
Do you have a favorite way to entertain little kids on a hot summer day? Please share!
This post originally ran over at Anna Sandler’s blog Random Handprints.