Excavating Buried Treasure

I actually originally got the idea for the excavating adventure from Chasing Cheerios a couple of months ago, but the idea came up again as the chickadees and I were watching an episode of the Sid the Science Kid, which addressed reversible change.  I decided to put the activity together right then, and the kids were really excited.  K kept asking me if the water had frozen every five minutes it seemed.  This was super easy to put together, and of course, the kids enjoy any activity where they are free to play with water. I simply filled a plastic bowl about three quarters full with water and put small toys, letter magnets, and other knick knacks in the bowl.  The first time the ice didn't freeze as hard as I wanted since we put the bowl in the freezer a little before lunch and took it out shortly after everyone woke up.  The items we used to break through the ice were warm water, salt, and butter knives, our version of ice picks. For me, this is definitely an outdoor activity =). 

Let the fun begin!

After we finished excavating the items, I brought out some extra cups and bowls and let them have fun with the water on the deck. 

It's all water play now

When K and G were done with their water play, I put the bowl and the items back into the freezer, and my husband and K had fun excavating again the next morning while I slept in (thankful to my honey for that). I am sure this time the ice was a bit more difficult to get through.