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Activity Finder: Ice Spheres
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Plan
What supplies do you need for this activity? You will need to freeze your ice spheres in advance – who will be in charge of doing that? Where will you do this experiment? If you do it inside, how will you make sure that the melting ice does not make a mess? What do you think will happen when you pour salt and water over the ice sphere?
Do
Fill balloons with water – they do not need to be overly full. Water balloons work well for this activity. Freeze your balloons – you can put them in the freezer or just leave them outside overnight. Peel the balloon off of your frozen sphere. Place your sphere on the ground (if you’re outside) or a plate (if you’re inside). Sprinkle some salt over the sphere, then use a spoon, eye dropper or syringe to add coloured water to the balloon. What happens? Keep adding salt and water – see what happens as you add different amounts of each.
Review
What happened when you added salt and water to the ice sphere? Is that what you thought would happen? What happens when you add different colours of water? What happens if you try this experiment without salt?
Materials
Frozen ice spheres (fill balloons with water and freeze them) Water + food colouring Table salt Spoon, syringe, eyedropper or other way to move water onto the sphere. Plate and towels for easy clean up (if you’re inside) Keep it Simple
Just add coloured water to your ice spheres and see what happens. You may need to leave the sphere for a couple of minutes before adding more water. Take it Further
Using salt to lower ice’s melting point is a key part of making ice cream. Tr y making your own!
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Level
Beavers (5–7) , Cubs (8–10)
Program Area
Creative Expression
Safety
Do not touch the ice with your bare hands – adding the salt will lower the water’s freezing point and you may get hurt if you touch it! If you are doing this experiment inside, make sure to have towels on hand to clean up any spills so that no one slips.
