Ice Block Rescue

What you need

• a plastic tub
• two or three chunky Christmas toys, like a plastic reindeer, a snowman figure or a big shatterproof plastic bauble with its hanging cap taken off, each too big to fit through a toilet roll tube
• a jug of warm water
• a spoon
• a tray
• a cloth

How to do it

1. Tip the ice block out of the tub onto the tray yourself and look at the toys stuck inside together.
2. Hold the ice up to the window for a moment and look at how it shines.
3. Give your toddler the jug of warm water and the spoon to pour, drip and tap at the ice.
4. Each time a toy comes free, name it and wrap it in the cloth to warm up.

Why it matters

A toy stuck in ice is a real problem to solve, so they keep pouring and tapping, and warm water melting ice is something they can see happen.

What they're learning

Pouring

Aiming a jug at one spot on the ice takes control of the wrist and arm.

Trying again

When one way is slow, they try another: more water, a tap with the spoon.

Warm and cold

Feeling the cold ice and the warm water side by side gives them real words for both.

What to look for

Watch for them trying a new trick, like pouring in one spot or tapping a crack, when the first try doesn't work. Stay close, nothing in mouths. Bits of ice count too.

A tip

Test the water on your wrist first: warm, never hot. Mop drips as you go so the floor stays dry.

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