Primary Colour Ice Equations

Today's colour exploration integrated curriculum and ideas from many different areas - math, literacy, science and art. After looking through colour books we invited the children to explore colour mixing with primary coloured ice cubes. 

Children were invited to do some planning before experimenting by using the colour paddles to see which colours were needed to make new ones. 

Once they had an idea, they wrote a colour equation. They recorded how many of each colour of ice cube they were mixing together in their cup. 

Next they added the correct number of cubes to their cups. 

We placed the cups on the light table. The children predicted the heat from the light would help the ice melt. 

We noticed as the ice began to melt the colours pooled at the bottom. 

Some friends thought putting the cups in the sunny window would help melt them faster than the light table. 

We were amazed at the beautiful shades that we created and how different combinations of colours produced different shades. 

Tomorrow we will use the pretty water in an art activity. Stay tuned!

Painting with Frozen Water

We added food colouring to our ice cube trays and froze colourful ice cubes in order to encourage some scientific art making outside in the warm sun. Using a long piece of white paper and the ice cubes, I encouraged my children to spend time 'painting' with the ice. 

They noticed as the warm air melted the ice, the colour was left on the paper. By moving the ice in different ways, the markings on the paper were like those left by a paintbrush or other art making tool.

My children wanted to know why the ice was melting and this lead to a great discussion about the properties of matter and how water can be a solid, liquid, or gas.

 

I was amazed at just how beautiful this artwork was when the kids were finished. The colours bled into one another and created new colours. Coloured ice cubes are fun to paint with, but also great when incorporated into water table play or used for fun in the bath tub!