I have to thank Little Giraffes Teaching Ideas for this fantastic game! I have used this game for years as one of my winter themed activities at our holiday party. It has been a big hit every year, without fail.
Now that I am teaching a new topic for the first time – the water cycle – I pulled this game out again, this time with a whole new purpose. In teaching about the water cycle, I began with a look at water in its various states (solid, liquid, gas). We then wanted to have a look at how ice turns to water. Cue the game! I had the kids work in groups to play. Each child gets an ice cube of roughly the same size. They need a bowl of warm water, some salt, a dice, and a set of instructions. Each child takes turns rolling and following the instructions on the dice. The kids absolutely LOVE when they roll a 2 and have to put the ice down their shirts!
As they play, they also begin to notice which option impacts the ice fastest. The salt leaves little holes in the cube, which they find fascinating. Blowing on the ice and dropping in (down their shirts or otherwise) have very little impact. Holding the ice helps it to melt, but putting it in warm water has the most significant impact. They begin to see that heat helps water move from a solid to a liquid.
And the kids were laughing the entire time! I highly recommend this simple but tried and true game. What are your favorite water cycle activities?
My younger grand girl loves seeing the process of water from solid to gas experience. Sad that her special needs pull her from a science class she told me about in exact and complex words.
Isn’t it wonderful that science can help children to use such wonderful vocabulary?