Ice Chalk and That Too the One That Sizzles

My daughter had her eyes on this sizzling ice chalk activity for a really long time now. However, I kept holding off the plan on one pretext or another. With the temperature in the ever pleasant Bangalore crossing 30 degrees Celsius already, it was time for me to stop dilly-dallying and get on with it.

Let me start by mentioning all good things about this activity – This one’s amazing. It is perfect for summers. It is fun for kids of all ages. Yes, all ages! I know it is difficult to engage a two-year-old and an eight-year-old with a single activity, but trust me, this one will do it for you.

Sizzling Ice Chalk Activity

Making Ice Chalks

Things You Would Need

½ cup cornstarch

½ cup baking soda

1 cup water

Liquid food colors (You can add water colors as well. Using liquid food colors ensures that even if kids put their fingers in their mouth while playing, they’ll be safe.)

Ice cube tray

Vinegar

How To Go About It

Mix up cornstarch, baking soda and water in a bowl. Mix well.

Drop in a few drop of liquid food color in the liquid mixture. If you want to make ice chalks of a variety of colors, divide the cornstarch-baking soda-water mix in separate bowls. Add different color to each bowl.

Pour the mixture in ice cube tray and let it freeze overnight.

Playing with Ice Chalks

Take out the ice chalks. Drop them on the ground. Ask your child to play with them whichever way she wants.

The first time a child plays with the ice chalks, he or she might be a little unsure about them. So you might need to guide them a little.

Little B was initially lost as to what to do with them. I showed her how we can make patterns and drawings on the floor by just sliding the ice chalks. She played skeptically for the first 5 minutes. But after that, she went wild playing with this newfound toy.  She was sliding the chalks like a striker, she was stacking them and she was making patterns and drawing her favorite painting “Starry Night.” As the chalks kept melting, our floor became a huge canvas of pretty colorful patterns.

Now for the Sizzling Part

After the child plays with ice chalks for a good 20-25 minutes, the chalks would have melted quite a bit. That is the time to do the next trick.

We had added baking soda to the ice chalk mixture. Baking soda when added to vinegar, gives out fizz. Fill up a squeezy bottle with vinegar. Squeeze out vinegar on top of the almost melted ice chalks, and you’ll see them sizzling.

This sizzling effect should keep your child busy for another 15 minutes or so.

For kids, the best part about this activity is that it is a messy activity. They will get their hands dirty, their clothes dirty, and the whole floor dirty. It is like a dream come true for every kid.

For adults, the best part about this homemade ice chalk activity is that though your kids would be making a lot of mess, cleaning the mess is easier. A simple water mopping can do the trick.

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