When the days are long and the weather is nice there's really no point in staying inside, but sometimes it takes more than a swing and a sandbox to keep the kids entertained. Painting with colored ice is a fun way to cool off and a great project to do outdoors!
I started by filling an ice cube tray with water and adding 2-3 drops of food coloring to each section. I mixed 2 drops of yellow + 1 drop of red to make orange, and 2 drops of red + 1 drop of blue to make purple. The food coloring sank to the bottom so I had to stir with a toothpick to mix the dye with the water. Next time I'll probably just mix the colors in a separate cup and then pour them into the molds. It should only take 2-3 hours for ice cubes to form (depending on the freezer), but I left mine in the freezer overnight.
They work great on watercolor and other types of heavier paper. The colors are vibrant and similar to Crayola's watercolors but without the hassle of cleaning your brush between colors. Great for babies!
My son enjoyed painting with them, although the brightly colored ice was a little too hard to resist...
...he HAD to taste one!
And after he tried one (even though they had no flavor - just water and food coloring), he decided taste them all!
The cubes melt quickly (even if you don't suck on them), so it wouldn't be a bad idea to have more in the freezer ready to go!
Glad I changed him into an already stained onesie before starting. The dye washes off hands and skin in the bath, but I'm not sure how well it will come out of cloths!
cute! i wanna try this now :)
ReplyDeletethis is awesome
ReplyDeletei can't wait for next summer
My daughter did this in her toddler class. They stuck popsicle sticks in the ice cubes and used non-toxic liquid watercolors instead of food coloring. It cleans up much more easily and when little ones taste it, it won't harm them.
ReplyDeleteLove the idea. And that face. lol He sure is a cutie!
ReplyDeleteI'm sure my grandson will enjoy doing this next summer. And by then, his 3 week old sister should be old enough to enjoy it a bit, too. Here in north GA, I'd strip them down to a diaper and let 'em rip.