Ice Art By Frances Ford

 

Ice Art By Frances Ford

 

This is a lovely activity to connect with nature and with the weather.

At the time of writing, we are in the third national lockdown and most people I know are struggling.

The snow and ice has grounded us and in our household, my son is self isolating because the key worker bubble at school has closed due to a positive COVID 19 case. We are having to dig deep to keep finding the joy in the small things and to remind ourselves that this too shall pass. 

On the weekend, we turned to ice art to connect with nature, art and science. As the art hangs in the garden, it serves as a beautiful reminder that none of this is forever and we can find joy in the moment with what we have and what nature provides. 

In preparation for this ice art activity, take a wintry walk and collect a few loose parts from nature. We paid attention to colour, texture and shape. 

On your return, gather materials from around the house:

• String
• Scissors
• Water
• A baking tray to use as a mould (you could supplement this with anything that is safe to leave outside in freezing temperatures overnight)

 

Place the loose pieces from nature into the moulds and add water to fill the moulds. Then cut the string and place the ends in the water and the loop hanging over the edge, to form the hanging loop. 

Leave the mould in the garden overnight and in the morning, loose the mould by placing it in warm water until the pieces come out easily and we hang them in the garden with the morning sun shining through them like glass.