Elizabeth Smillie

(I wrote this post at the end of July and am just now getting around to publishing :D)

Around here it has been wet and warm this Summer, which put together makes for hot, steamy days! Hot, steamy days can lead to the kids being just as cooped up inside as rainy ones, so we have been coming up with some ideas to help them stay out (and cool) as long as possible, one of which is Ice Painting. It is super easy (you could probably figure out how to do it by simply looking at one of these photos!), entertains kiddos for quite a while and is also (nearly) free – a triple win! They love any craft that involves painting, and could spend hours coloring on the sidewalk, so I combined both! It is quite simple, really, only involving a bit of forethought on the part of the parent. :)

You will need:

an ice tray

water

food color

paper (optional)

paintbrushes (option)
Fill the ice tray with water and add a few drops of coloring to each well. I used two trays and made about eight different colors for this project. Put the trays of colored water in your freezer, and wait!  Once the ice has frozen, spread out some papers (I used a length of white butcher paper) on a table or concrete (we used our patio – a driveway or sidewalk would also work well) and add the colored ice cubes to it. I also supplied some small paintbrushes and encouraged the kids to rub the ice around, “painting” with the trails of colored water it left.

Much fun was had by all! Now that the weather is starting to cool again, I’m imagining that using the colored ice cubes in a warm bath would be equally fun. :)