Mama.Papa.Bubba. -
Menu
Skip to content
  • SHOP
  • preemie
  • baby
  • play
  • craft
  • learn
  • cook
  • DIY
  • kuwait
  • vancouver
  • contact
  • about

Tag Archives: ice play

Icy Blizzard Car Rescue

3 / 7 / 194 / 15 / 19

Icy Blizzard Car Rescue Activity | Mama Papa Bubba

YOU GUYS…  It’s March 6th and currently?  It’s snowing.  SNOWING!!  I can’t even.  And so, when you don’t have the power to change the weather, you may as well enjoy it, right?  Except for that it’s cold and miserable….  So we brought the blizzard inside. {Just enough to fill a small bin – my kind of blizzard.  Hah!}   Mixed Sam’s very favourite thing (vehicles, obviously) and created an icy blizzard car rescue that he absolutely loved.

Here’s how I did it…

Icy Blizzard Car Rescue | Mama.Papa.Bubba.{this post contains affiliate links}

First of all, I picked out a few Hot Wheels / Matchbox vehicles from Sam’s collection and placed them into a small bin with just a couple of centimetres of water and two drops of aqua liquid watercolours (one of my very favourite art supplies – they’re super vibrant and super washable).  Then I popped the bin into the freezer, arranged the vehicles as I wanted them, and let it all freeze over night.

Icy Blizzard Car Rescue | Mama.Papa.Bubba.

When it was time to play, I sprinkled some snow on top in order to add to the whole blizzard feel, but if you don’t have snow you could certainly skip this step.

Icy Blizzard Car Rescue | Mama.Papa.Bubba.

Next up, I set out a few ‘tools’ to assist in the rescue…

  •  toy tow truck and snow plow for added imaginary play possibilities
  • some jars of warm water coloured with liquid food colouring (you could use liquid watercolours to ensure washability) paired with our bulk pipettes and our Learning Resources zig-zag dropper to help melt the ice
  • a little wooden hammer for breaking / chipping away at the ice
  • some coloured salt (just regular table salt and a couple of drops of liquid food colouring shaken in a reusable bag until uniform in colour), also for melting ice

Icy Blizzard Car Rescue | Mama.Papa.Bubba.

Here’s the finished play invitation!

NOW…  I just purchased this  FLISAT table from Ikea {even though we really didn’t need it} and although I’m already so, so in love with it, you certainly do not need a fancy sensory table to set this, or any other sensory play invitation, up.  A smaller bin inside a larger bin would work perfectly, as would a blizzard bin with a tray of tools next to it.

Icy Blizzard Car Rescue | Mama.Papa.Bubba.

When I told Sam that the vehicles were stuck in an icy blizzard and needed to be rescued, he was thrilled.

Icy Blizzard Car Rescue | Mama.Papa.Bubba.

I briefly ran through the tools with him and he was off!

Icy Blizzard Car Rescue | Mama.Papa.Bubba.

I feel like ice rescue activities like this one {and this frozen ocean animal rescue and this frozen ocean mermaid excavation} are great for helping kiddos develop grit, patience, and perseverance because they take a good amount of time and effort.

Icy Blizzard Car Rescue | Mama.Papa.Bubba.

While Sam immediately went for the warm water and salt, he soon moved onto trying the wooden hammer.

Icy Blizzard Car Rescue | Mama.Papa.Bubba.

What I didn’t anticipate is that he would create his own warm salt water mixture in hopes of that being the winning solution…  Clever little nugget!

Icy Blizzard Car Rescue | Mama.Papa.Bubba.

It took some time {and maybe a tiny bit of assistance from Sister – she just can’t help herself!}, but he eventually got a truck loose.

Icy Blizzard Car Rescue | Mama.Papa.Bubba.

Of course Miss Chloe was right in on the action as she always is.

Icy Blizzard Car Rescue | Mama.Papa.Bubba.

One thing I should mention is that the combination of cold and salt can sometimes bother little ones’ hands.  Miss G’s never minded – even after ages of play – but after dunking his hands in water and then into the salt, Sam told me that his hands felt ‘hot’.  A couple of things you can do to if your little one seems to have sensitive hands: a) let them play with gloves on or b) have a bowl of clean, warm water and a small towel nearby.

Icy Blizzard Car Rescue | Mama.Papa.Bubba.

Of course as time passes, the vehicles become easier to rescue…

Icy Blizzard Car Rescue | Mama.Papa.Bubba.

And then it gets REALLY exciting!

Icy Blizzard Car Rescue | Mama.Papa.Bubba.

This will definitely be done again in our house.

Icy Blizzard Car Rescue | Mama Papa Bubba

Are you following us on social media?

Find us on: Facebook  |  Instagram  |  Pinterest  |  Twitter

We’d love to have you!

4 Comments

Mermaid Ice Excavation

7 / 6 / 167 / 2 / 19

Mermaid Rescue Ice Excavation | Mama Papa Bubba

Summer’s here which means that it’s officially ice excavation season!  We love ice excavations and as the years pass, I’m always slightly surprised by just how into them Miss G is.  She’s done many ice excavations in her time, and yet she still gets all amped up when I mention doing one {which I of course love}.  I do try to make them fun and different each time, playing into whatever she’s interested in that summer, so a mermaid rescue ice excavation it was for my girl who currently loves mermaids. {So fun, right?!  Mermaid birthday party here we come!}  

Read More

7 Comments

Frozen Ocean Animal Rescue {salt, water, & ice play}

1 / 8 / 147 / 31 / 17

Frozen Ocean Animal Rescue | Mama.Papa.Bubba.

Gracen and I are lucky enough to have one of her little friends join us for an afternoon of play each Wednesday.  They play quite well together, so I put a few things out for them to explore  in advance, then step back to let them play, helping communication and sharing happen when needed.  We always have a good time together, but the last couple of times I’ve noticed that together they plow through the activities I’ve set out (2 minutes of play dough! 1 stroke of paint!  3 minutes of water play!) and then look at me with eager eyes for something more. 

Read More

26 Comments

Taking Advantage of the Heat with Ice Painting

8 / 27 / 139 / 3 / 13

Ice Painting | Mama Papa Bubba

Last night as I was tidying the kitchen before heading off to bed, I came across our silicon mini muffin pan and randomly decided to fill it with water and gel food colouring instead of putting it away (totally normal, right?)  Don’t ask how this all came about…  An idea came to me, and I just ran with it (I blame jet lag and ridiculously early wake ups – we’re talking 2 or 3 a.m. right now). 

Read More

2 Comments

Frozen SCENTED Sidewalk Chalk Popsicles

7 / 18 / 138 / 11 / 13

Vibrant Scented Frozen Sidewalk Chalk Pops | Mama Papa BubbaWhen I saw this post from Reading Confetti, I immediately fell in love.  We’ve made our own sidewalk chalk paint for a long while now and I’d seen many frozen versions, but never had I seen them made in popsicle moulds before!  After sharing the idea on our Facebook page and pinning it on several Pinterest boards, I made a mental note to pick up some more cornstarch the next time I was out so we could get the project under way.

IMG 0263Well luckily for me, not only did I remember to pick up cornstarch during our next grocery shop, but I also ran into these Duncan Hines Frosting Creations packets for the first time ever.  Immediately, I knew our frozen chalk pops would be scented.  A few days later, Miss G and I gathered up our materials and got to work.

Using our tried and true sidewalk chalk paint method, we mixed 2 cups of warm water with 1 cup of cornstarch in our blender for a minute or so. Then we collected our popsicle moulds, our Frosting Creation packets, some gel food colouring (liquid will work too, but the colours won’t be nearly as intense), and several popsicle sticks.

IMG 0265Next up, I used the popsicle sticks to scoop a small amount of gel food colouring into each popsicle mould, and Miss G selected a Frostings Creation packet to coordinate with each colour before we added a small amount (maybe 1/8th of the packet) to each slot. (If you’re making this at home and can’t find the frosting flavour packets, you could always use unsweetened Kool-Aid or Jell-O powder instead.)

IMG 0267With our food colouring and powdered scent ready, we filled each popsicle mould about 2/3rds full of our cornstarch/water combo and Gracen stirred them well.

IMG 0268Then we topped them up with a little bit more cornstarch/water and Grae gently stirred them a little more.

IMG 0270At that point, all that was left to do was put our plastic handles in and freeze the chalk pops overnight.

IMG 0315The next day, they looked like this.  The colours were vibrant, the texture was smooth and creamy, and they smelled absolutely delicious.

Vibrant Scented Frozen Sidewalk Chalk Pop Scents | Mama Papa BubbaThe blue one smelled like cotton candy, the green one was mint chocolate, the red was strawberry shortcake, and the orange was orange creme…  YUM.  The only potentially bad news is that because they do look so real and smell so wonderfully, some munchkins may be tempted to try eating them (yuck!)  That being said, because they’re made strictly of kitchen ingredients, they are technically safe to consume. So though they may taste chalky and gross, they certainly wouldn’t harm a curious little monkey who snuck a lick.

IMG 0328With our fun new chalk pops in hand, we headed into the backyard to test them out.  The verdict?  They’re really awesome!

IMG 0329When they’re melting and drippy, they go on much like their liquid counterpart does, only via a wand of sorts instead of a paintbrush.  When they’re not melting, they go on much like regular sidewalk chalk does – dry and colourful with a little bit of pressure.  When dry, the colours are super vibrant and to me, they look very much like they’ve been made with regular sidewalk chalk. 

IMG 0344By the time our chalk pops had melted, our cement pad was fully covered in bright swirls, drawings, drips, and letters.  And the great news is that it all washed away really easily without any fuss – much easier than our sidewalk chalk paint normally does for some reason.

I can’t wait to pull this activity out again in Kuwait where the temperatures soar and our courtyard is made completely of cement.

♥ 

For extra fun, like us on Facebook here and find us on Instagram here.   

2 Comments

Summer Fun: Ice Play

7 / 8 / 123 / 24 / 14

IMG 6426

Knowing that we were expecting a string of scorchers (for Vancouver, at least) here in the city, I prepped this sunny day activity a couple of days ago so it would be ready to go when the mood struck.  All it took was a bunch of ice cube trays, a little food colouring, and some freezer space.

IMG 6427

I know that some may wonder why on Earth I have so many shaped ice cube trays, and the only explanation I really have is –  I’m a Kindergarten teacher. (They’re great for counting, sorting, AND making homemade soaps for Mother’s Day!) No, they’re not what we use on a regular basis.  In fact, we have 8 regular ice cube trays in our freezer at this very moment. And while regular ice cubes would work just as well, I decided to pull out the fun ones to add some interest to our ice play.

IMG 6428

With the ice cubes frozen and ready to go, I quickly gathered up a few kitchen goodies to accompany the ice. Some cups, a couple of spoons, and a spatula to mix, scoop, and stir with, and a jug, a squirt bottle, and spritzer {each filled with coloured water} to melt the ice and make “soup” with.

IMG 6431

IMG 6433

IMG 6437

Gracen was pretty anxious to get her hands into this bin and didn’t hesitate to put her water reserves to good use.

IMG 6448

Mmmmmm…. Soup!

IMG 6440

IMG 6441

IMG 6444

IMG 6455

With the soup ready to go, the tasting began.  We did have to explain that she couldn’t put the small cubes right into her mouth, but she was more than happy to just lick the bigger cubes.  Not as thrilled, was Papa, Grae’s official soup taste tester – yuuuummy!

IMG 6460

Full of soup, it was time to climb in. Brrrrr! For being as cold as it was, she lasted a surprisingly long time in there.

IMG 6466

With frozen feet, it was time to climb out, defrost those tootsies, and water the lawn a little…

IMG 6478

And not long after, this is all we had left of our ice sensory bin…

IMG 6487

Though this sensory bin doesn’t lend itself to repetitive use like most do, it’s easy to set up and so refreshing on a hot summer’s day that we’ll definitely be enjoying it again very soon. Bring on the heat!

♥

You can see Gracen’s rainbow rice, beach, ocean, gardening, moon dough, construction, and bird-themed
bins by clicking on the links.
12 Comments

find us here

  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • Pinterest
  • Twitter
  • Email

looking for something?

want our posts to your inbox?

popular posts

  • Make Ten {an easy card game for kids}
    Make Ten {an easy card game for kids}
  • Footprint Butterfly Flower Pot
    Footprint Butterfly Flower Pot
  • EASY Portable Activity Kit for Road Trips
    EASY Portable Activity Kit for Road Trips
  • Magic Mystery Painting
    Magic Mystery Painting
  • Homemade Air-Dry Modelling Clay {aka baking soda clay}
    Homemade Air-Dry Modelling Clay {aka baking soda clay}
  • Portable Activity Kit for Little Travellers
    Portable Activity Kit for Little Travellers
  • Tummy Time Painting
    Tummy Time Painting
  • Cupcake Liner Flower Wreath
    Cupcake Liner Flower Wreath
  • Chunky Monkey Frozen Yogurt Bites
    Chunky Monkey Frozen Yogurt Bites
  • Tape Pull Fine Motor Activity
    Tape Pull Fine Motor Activity

archives

Site made with ♥ by Angie Makes
Angie Makes Feminine WordPress Themes