Ice Activities for Summer

Summer is here and parents need some fun ideas to keep the kids entertained and cool during these hot months. If you want a summer alternative to packing up the kids and heading to the pool or beach, then you will love these simple homemade frozen activities.

Frozen Watercolor Painting

Is your child a budding artist or simply loves to paint? If so, they will love this art activity, especially the change in canvas. You guessed it…the new canvas is ice!

• Take the Happy Mat and fill the eyes and smile with water. Place the mat in the freezer (yes, all ezpz products are freezer safe!) and let the water freeze. Next, remove the Happy Mat from the freezer and show your kids the frozen smiley face. Finally, have your kiddos paint eyes, teeth, eyelashes and goofy expressions on the ice. To make this a multi-sensory activity, let the kids paint with their fingers, sponges and paint brushes. This ice art will have your kids rolling with laughter while keeping them cool! 
• What you need: Happy Mat, water, watercolor, paint brushes

Frozen Friends

Is your child into Lego mini figures, unicorns, army men, bugs, zoo animals or dinosaurs? Then I have a frozen activity that is perfect for keeping little hands busy and minds entertained!

• Have your child fill up the Happy Bowl with cold water, pick out a few of their favorite miniatures and place them in the water. Next, place the Happy Bowl in the freezer for a few hours. Finally, remove the Happy Bowl, bend the sides of the silicone bowl and pop out your glacier. Your kids can watch the glacier melt in the sun, use kid-safe tools to chisel at the ice, or they can slowly pour warm water over the glacier to rescue their frozen friends!
• What you need: Happy Bowl, water, miniature characters / animals

Frozen Drinks

Keeping kids hydrated during the summer can be a daunting task. And if you have a picky drinker, summer break is that much harder. So, change up the plain old water routine and invite your kiddos to help you prepare this thirst quenching drink. Your picky drinker will love this fun variation on hydration!

• Make your child’s favorite flavored drink mix (e.g., Kool-Aid, lemonade, etc.) in a pitcher. Pour the mixture into the Mini Bowl and place it in the freezer. Once frozen, gently press the sides of the Mini Bowl and pop out the frozen drink. Then place it in a punch bowl with some sparkling water or bubbly soda for a kid-friendly happy hour!
• What you need: Mini Bowl, water, flavored drink mix, sparkling water

What ideas do you have to keep you child cool this summer? What tools do you use to make drinking fun for your kids? Share some of your favorite frozen activities on your ezpz mat with #ezpzfun. 

Dawn Winkelmann, M.S, CCC-SLP

SPEECH LANGUAGE PATHOLOGIST & FEEDING SPECIALIST FOR EZPZ

Dawn Winkelmann, a.k.a “Ms. Dawn”, has treated thousands of kids across the globe by helping families overcome picky eating stages and food refusals, while adding new foods into their diet. Her high success rate is attributed to Ms. Dawn bringing her education, experience, sense of humor and her favorite feeding products to the family dinner table.

You will find Ms. Dawn’s expert feeding advice to be positive and fun for the entire family! She adapts complicated feeding/swallowing research and makes it practical and easy for parents! Get ready to learn the science behind your favorite feeding products and ways to bring happy family mealtimes back!