Ice Breakers

Being August, it's still over 100 degrees here regularly. Clearly we needed another fun activity to keep us cool outside. I filled some balloons with water and a small toy. Then I stuck them in the freezer until they were solid. We then went outside and I let the kids try to figure out how to get their toys out.

I cut the balloons off and showed the kids the hidden toys.

See the frozen Elmo? He is waving for help.

They started with tools and tried hitting and smashing the ice.

Then they decided they could just throw it on the ground and some would break off.

Then they realized the higher you lifted it, the more ice broke off.

After all of this time (notice all of the wet ground now), they finally noticed the ice is cold and ask for their mittens.

Following the theory that the higher you drop it the more breaks off, they stood up.

Checking to see how much farther till the toy.

Both throwing it against the ground.

We started with 6 ice balloons and the entire activity took almost an hour. Even after sitting in the ice water they weren't too cold and their shorts dried before we went inside. It was fun and we will certainly do this activity again.