Ice Cube Nature Melt Experiment

A muffin tin or large ice cube tray

Small nature items — leaves, flower petals, berries, small pebbles, a twig

A squeeze bottle filled with warm water

A pinch of salt

A large tray or baking pan for the melting station

A small spoon

The night before, fill a muffin tin with small nature items — a leaf in one cup, a flower petal in another, a small berry, a pebble. Cover with water and freeze overnight.

Pop out the frozen nature cubes and arrange them on a large tray outside. The sunlight and fresh air make this feel like an outdoor lab.

Let your child examine the frozen cubes. "The leaf is trapped inside! How do you think we can get it out?" Let them wonder before offering tools.

Set out the tools: warm water in a squeeze bottle, a small dish of salt, and a spoon. Don't tell them which works best — let them discover.

Watch them experiment. Squirting warm water creates channels. Sprinkling salt makes crackling sounds and tiny melt holes. Sunshine works slowly. "Which method is getting the ice to melt fastest?"

As items emerge from their icy shells, look at them closely. Some will be changed by freezing — colors may shift, petals may be translucent. Others will look exactly the same.

Freeze different-sized cubes for variety. Muffin tins make satisfyingly large ice discs. Small ice cube trays work for tiny treasures.

Food coloring in the water before freezing makes the cubes even more dramatic.

This is a genuine science experiment. Your child is testing variables (heat, salt, mechanical force) and observing results. Name that process.

Hot days make this activity fast-paced and exciting. Cool days let the exploration last longer. Both are great.