 
          S
        
        
          imply freeze water on a plastic
        
        
          plate overnight and take it out of
        
        
          the freezer when your kids are
        
        
          ready to paint their masterpiece.
        
        
          Start painting with a brush and then move
        
        
          on to finger-painting, observing how the
        
        
          paint reacts and how it feels when it first
        
        
          goes onto the ice (it will freeze and feel dry
        
        
          to the touch). Watch how the paint changes
        
        
          as the ice starts to melt, liquefying and
        
        
          causing the colours to blend.
        
        
          Want to do it again? Just rinse your
        
        
          ice canvas under the tap and you have a
        
        
          blank canvas ready to paint again. This is
        
        
          an activity that can be repeated until the
        
        
          ice is all gone, or pop it back in the freezer
        
        
          and your ice canvas will be ready to use
        
        
          whenever you need it.
        
        
          
            Supplies
          
        
        
          • 9-inch plastic plate
        
        
          • Paint
        
        
          • Paintbrush
        
        
          • Damp cloth
        
        
          • Newspaper
        
        
          
            Preparation
          
        
        
          •
        
        
          Prepare one day ahead: Fill your plate
        
        
          with water and place in the freezer
        
        
          overnight.
        
        
          •
        
        
          Prepare your paint station before taking
        
        
          the container out of the freezer.
        
        
          •
        
        
          Lay down some newspaper and have a
        
        
          damp cloth handy for messy hands!
        
        
          1. Take out your ice canvas and feel how
        
        
          cold it is.
        
        
          2. Talk with your kids about what they
        
        
          would like to paint. Maybe a face, an
        
        
          animal or a rainbow? Or, just have fun with
        
        
          different colours.
        
        
          3. First, use a brush to paint on the ice.
        
        
          What does the paint look and feel like? Is
        
        
          it wet or dry? When you are done, take a
        
        
          minute to admire your creation.
        
        
          4. Want to save it? Pop it back in the
        
        
          freezer.
        
        
          5. Want to do it again? Give your ice a
        
        
          quick rinse in the sink with cold water.
        
        
          Viola! A brand new ice canvas for painting.
        
        
          6. Next, try finger-painting. Does it feel
        
        
          c-c-cold to touch? Try using the primary
        
        
          colours red, yellow and blue. What colours
        
        
          can you see as the ice starts to melt?
        
        
          7. Want to keep going? Just rinse... and
        
        
          paint again... and on and on, until the ice
        
        
          has melted completely.
        
        
          8. Ready to stop? Just rinse, refill and pop
        
        
          your ice canvas back in the freezer and you
        
        
          are ready to make ice art at any time.
        
        
          Looking for a way to beat the heat and keep your kids entertained at home?
        
        
          Try painting on an ice canvas. It's a quick and easy art activity for kids of all
        
        
          ages, from toddlers to tweens – and you’ll have fun too!
        
        
          Let's paint on an
        
        
          ice canvas!
        
        
          credit: housingaforest.com
        
        
          
            advice
          
        
        
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