It’s also taste safe and non toxic (although I wouldn’t let any children try to actually eat it.) This makes it a fantastic material for tactile and sensory play. This means it acts like a liquid when its relaxed or being poured, but when you push, squeeze or exert any kind if force onto it, it becomes temporarily solid. Oobleck is named after a Dr Seuss story and its a non-Newtonian fluid. When the ice melts the flour then turns into Ooblock. It also stops the chill from the ice so they are nicer for little hands. Or how about adding some fake snow to your igloo when you have finished building? Cornflour or tapioca flour make great natural fake snow, the flour sticks to the ice cubes making them fluffy and soft to the touch. (Please note children should be supervised at all times around open flames.) When you have finished making your igloo you could turn it into an ice lantern, by using a candle to illuminate it in the dark and see how long the heat takes to melt the igloo. Please note when you get to the doorway it’s best to balance two ice cubes touching to form a bridge and then add a supporting brick underneath. You can then complete each layer in the same way until your igloo is finished. When your first layer is finished its best to put it back into the freezer for a short while to refreeze, this prevents the blocks melting and sliding apart. Then when the blocks touch the water freezes between them helping them stick together. When you start building you need to dip each ice cube briefly in a bowl cold water. To start you need to freeze a tray or two of ice cubes and make an ice base for your igloo using a round tray or tin lid.

All you need is somewhere to freeze water, an ice cube tray and a round tin. Making an ice cube igloo is a simple activity with ice that helps develop fine motor skills and patience. Its so easy to make and you can easily add extra sensory elements like scented herbs, flavoured oils, textured natural materials and colours. Ice is a wonderful material for sensory and exploratory play.

Home built with ice blocks