Painting ice process art
- Vicki Manning
- Feb 19, 2021
- 3 min read
Updated: Jun 22
Have you heard of process art? Process art is where you child is free to experiment and express themselves with art matermaterialsials without predetermined goals or expectations. The focus is on the "doing" of art, not just the "what have you made".
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We've had some really cold weather recently so there's been a lot of ice about. On one of our walks, while we were crunching on some fabulously frozen puddles, my six year old showed me a chunk of ice he'd found, and I was reminded of a process art activity I've been meaning to try for ages.
When we got home after our chilly walk I half filled a couple of Tupperware pots, put a lid on and popped them at the bottom of the freezer overnight (so they would freeze flat).
The next morning I took them out and put them into a tray along with our Faber Castell watercolour set to create some painting ice proces art.
This is one of those activities where the kids are champing at the bit - I barely got time to set it up and they were diving in!
My youngest went straight for the two-handed approach! He quickly got the hang of moving his brush around on the paint pad and transferring it to the ice.
My six year old enjoyed blobbing contrasting colours and watching them swirl and blend as the ice melted.
They played really nicely together, which is pretty unusual as the strong personalities and big age gap can often get in the way! But this is another great thing about process art - because there are no expectations or level of skill required, it is perfect for all ages.
Mr 6 and I painted a rainbow together and watched as the colours ran down the sides of the block - it was fascinating how the ribbons of paint bled down, swirled and mixed together!
Process art is brilliant for helping your child to think independently and imaginatively, as it encourages experimentation and there is no 'right' way of doing it.
Some of the other areas children develop and learn through painting on ice:
Fine motor skills (manupulating a paintbrush)
Colour-theory (watching colours mix)
Temperature (how ice melts)
Socials skills (taking turns and discussing results)
Vocabulary (words such as cold, liquid, solid etc)
Self-expression (being creative with the paints)
They spent a good half hour painting and experimenting and in this time the ice didn't melt completely - it lasted surprisingly long on a central-heated house! So after they'd finished painting, I rinsed the blocks, popped them outside and the boys continued playing with them until they melted away.
I love these kinds of activities - they cost nothing, they are so creative and there are no toys to be tidied away! I will definitely be trying this again - maybe outside in the summer as a fun way to cool down.
More ways to play with ice...
Nature ice blocks
Freeze flowers or leaves inside ice blocks, then let your child explore them.
Edible sensory ice
Freeze fruits, vegetables, or herbs in ice for a taste and texture experience.
Melting ice experiment
Enjoy seeing how different substances such as warm water or salt affect the melting process.
Ice sculptures
Use ice cubes or blocks of ice to create shapes and sculptures, such as igloos.
Small world play
Use ice cubes or blocks to create Arctic/ Antarctic worlds for imaginative play.
Have you tried playing with ice? Let me know how you got on!
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