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This January might have been cold, but we kept warm with lots of activities inside and out!
On one of the coldest days, the daycare children were invited to add food coloring to water, then pour it into a variety of containers.
We talked about how the food coloring dissolved in the water as we watched the color swirl through the clear water.
Once finished, the children and I carefully placed the colored water outdoors to freeze.
We bundled up and were so excited to play with our new frosty colored ice shapes!
On warmer days, we headed outdoors to see what we could see on nature walks.
We found "horses" to ride...
... and footprints to follow!
On other days, we stayed in the back yard.
Sometimes the children pulled their friends around in sleds! This was great exercise and used large motor muscle groups. It's a great learning experience for children to find their limits when it comes to pushing or pulling large items.
On other outdoor trips, we saw big flocks of birds.
Sometimes, just playing in the snow was enough for us!
Indoors, we explored freezing and melting. We added colored ice cubes to cold and hot water to see which melted faster. We sprinkled salt onto ice cubes to see how that affected the rate of melting. Of course, we couldn't resist the sensation of holding an ice cube in our hands. How long can you hold an ice cube before it's too cold for you?
We practiced folding, cutting, and unfolding paper to make fancy paper snowflakes. The children got to take theirs home.
The papers start out small...
... but as you unfold...
... they get BIG!