Wintertime Exploration

"I bet we could put water outside and it would freeze in just one minute."

One January afternoon my kindergarteners were talking about a recent cold snap and this comment came up. Of course we had to try it out.

The kids completely led this exploration with just one question from me - "How do we get water outside?" Waiting for rain was out of the question for them, so they found a bin and used some water from the tap.

They were brimming with questions and guesses as they filled the bin and placed it outside. They talked amongst themselves and agreed it would not actually freeze in one minute but it definitely would freeze overnight. So they agreed to wait.

The next afternoon we checked on the bin - and the water had frozen! Even better, some leaves and pine needles got stuck in the mix which was that much more exciting. They dumped it in a pan and began observing and exploring their creation.

Now they wanted to see it melt.

Turns out it takes a long time for a solid block of ice to melt, even if a bunch of little hands are doing their best to warm it up. So we added warm water with pipettes, eventually adding food coloring to see the melting in action (also their idea.)

They stayed with this the entire afternoon. Every little bit of exposed leaf or pine needle was driving motivation for them to continue. They talked about what they were seeing, and a lot of other kid things, and were so satisfied in this moment they were sharing.

This was not a time for me jump in with factoids about water and temperature and states of matter or anything else. It was a time for me to fade into the background and watch the wonder and curiosity that emerges so naturally in young children. And a time for me to be in awe of them.