Painting on Ice – Cool Down Process Art for Kids
Painting on ice is a fun way to not only be creative with art, but also learn the science behind the melting and freezing point of water! Plus, it’s a great way to cool down during the summer months!
Painting on Ice Over and Over Again!
Kids will love this process art activity so much, and they’ll want to do it over and over again. The good news? They can! Just rinse the ice block under water and they can create one masterpiece after another on the same icy “canvas.” Keep reading to see how simple this activity is to put together!
For more arts and crafts activities, visit our comprehensive list of ideas and activities!
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The Art of Painting on Ice
Kids love creating with this fun ice activity! It’s an excellent way to have them work on their painting and color skills. Just watch the video to see how cool the process is!
I’ve found that this activity is excellent for rainy weekends or hot summer days. You can do it inside or out – it is so flexible! Kid’s hands may get a bit messy, so keep that in mind as you’re setting this up. There’s no way to not touch and play with this, so that’s just all part of the sensory fun.
The Art of Painting on Ice
Kids love creating with this fun ice activity! It’s an excellent way to have them work on their painting and color skills. Just watch the video to see how cool the process is!
I’ve found that this activity is excellent for rainy weekends or hot summer days. You can do it inside or out – it is so flexible! Kid’s hands may get a bit messy, so keep that in mind as you’re setting this up. There’s no way to not touch and play with this, so that’s just all part of the sensory fun.
Tips for Setting Up This Ice Painting Activity
Plan Ahead. One thing to remember about this simple ice activity is that you will need to freeze your water ahead of time. Just pop a container of water in the freezer for a few hours, or if you can’t wait and have some extra ice cubes, you could explore painting those instead! Get the kiddos involved in freezing the water and explain to them that water freezes when it reaches a temperature of 32°F or 0°C.
Rinse and Reuse. One of the great aspects of this art activity is that you don’t need to use up a ton of paper! When your kiddo’s artwork starts to melt away, snap a picture for memory-sake and then rinse the whole block of ice off so they can use it again to make another masterpiece!
Materials
- Water
- Container
- Water
- Container
- Watercolors
- Paintbrush
Step-by-Step Instructions
Step 1
Pour the water into a container and freeze.
Step 2
Once frozen, pop the ice out and put it on a plate or tray. Gather the painting supplies and let the kids get started.
Step 1
Pour the water into a container and freeze.
Step 2
Once frozen, pop the ice out and put it on a plate or tray. Gather the painting supplies and let the kids get started.
The Educational Benefits of Ice Painting
Process Art. First and foremost, this activity is a great way to talk about and experience process art. Process art is all about exploration – it is choice-driven and focuses on the process of making the art than the art itself!
Color Mixing. It’s fun to see one color and know that red is red, but once the colors start melting and the red goes into the blue, this is a great opportunity to talk about how colors combine to create other colors. (In that case, the secondary color, purple!) For more ways to explore color mixing, including what primary and secondary colors are as well as shades and tints, definitely check out our free printable bundle of 5 color mixing activities!
The Science. You can also take this time to talk to the kids about the freezing and melting point of water, 32°F or 0°C.
The Educational Benefits of Ice Painting
Process Art. First and foremost, this activity is a great way to talk about and experience process art. Process art is all about exploration – it is choice-driven and focuses on the process of making the art than the art itself!
Color Mixing. It’s fun to see one color and know that red is red, but once the colors start melting and the red goes into the blue, this is a great opportunity to talk about how colors combine to create other colors. (In that case, the secondary color, purple!) For more ways to explore color mixing, including what primary and secondary colors are as well as shades and tints, definitely check out our free printable bundle of 5 color mixing activities!
The Science. You can also take this time to talk to the kids about the freezing and melting point of water, 32°F or 0°C.
More Ways to Explore Artistic Mediums
Here are my top picks for arts and crafts kits that encourage hands on creations!
Water Marbling Kit
Create beautiful marbled art with this easy to use kit. This is water based art and comes with all the tools needed to create 10 masterpieces!
Spin and Spiral Art
This fun kit allows kiddos to explore both spin art and spiral art. The kit comes with 3 spiro gears, 6 markers, 3 ink bottles, 15 paper discs, and an art station base.
Sand Art Kit
This sand art kit comes with 8 different colors of sand to create sand bottles and pendant bottles. A great way to discover art through a different medium!
String Art Kit
This kit is a fun way for kids to create and display amazing shapes and designs artistically made with string. Use a pattern included in the kit or create your own!
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