Featured in The Possibilities of Play: Imaginative Learning Centers for Children Ages 3-6, by Dr. Jean Feldman and Carolyn Kisloski, this learning center activity is a perfect opportunity to practice observation, predicting, and vocabulary. Facilitating exploration and observation through play in young children allows them to develop concepts about science and nature, all while having fun!  

Melting Icebergs

Materials

• Plastic Containers
• Plastic Tub
• Food coloring of various colors
• Extra: Plastic Arctic Animals

What to Do

Fill the plastic containers with water and add a few drops of food coloring to each. Freeze to make icebergs. Place the icebergs in a tub while they melt, and ask the children to predict which iceberg will melt the fastest. This encourages children to make their own predictions and observe the physical outcomes on their own. For extra fun, fill the tub with the plastic Arctic animals, and encourage the children to play with the animals while they are observing. As they explore, introduce vocabulary such as freeze, slushy, icy, polar bear, Arctic fox, Arctic wolf, seal, snowy owl, walrus, orca, narwhal, and so on. For outside fun, give each child a cup with an ice cube, and challenge them to see who can make their ice cube melt the fastest.