Start by freezing a range of ice blocks in preparation, making them in as many different sizes and shapes as possible. You can use manufactured ice trays to create cubes, but introduce some new shapes too - the plastic trays from chocolate boxes make wonderful shapes for instance, as do ice-cream containers, jelly moulds, milk cartons, yoghurt pots and even balloons.
Also fill some large containers to make a few really big blocks of ice. (If you haven't got access to a large freezer, ask the local supermarket to help you out). Consider adding a little food colouring to some of the water to make some rainbow shades, but remember to use just a small amount though, or the children's hands will become stained during play!
For all ice activities, the children will need to wear protective gloves when handling the ice that has just come from the freezer. If you are feeling inspired to chip away at ice for any creative reasons, then safety goggles all-round are also a must.
Ice sculptures
To sculpt, children choose blocks of ice that appeal to them, and working alone or in small groups, they create model towers, igloos or whatever they are inspired to produce, simply by fusing the ice blocks by pressing them together for a few moments. If the ice doesn't stick easily, children can paint a little water on one surface before bonding - gloves are essential for this, to avoid stuck hands becoming a feature of the sculpture! Children could introduce other natural materials too - an ice-house could have a roof made of twigs for instance. Although extremely simple, creating ice sculptures is an absorbing activity that children often like to work on for some time, so consider doing it outside on a chilly day to prolong the life of the ice.
Colour blocks
This activity requires some preparation, but the stunning end results are worth it. An adult makes several deep holes in a large block of ice, using a skewer that has been warmed in hot water. For ease, try removing the ice from the freezer and letting it rest for a while before preparing it, and reheat the skewer as necessary.
Once the ice is ready, children drip food colouring into the holes, ideally from a pipette or dropper (but you could improvise). Very slowly, the colouring will begin to run through the channels in the ice, creating stunning veins of colour that change as the ice melts. Create colour blocks at the beginning of a session, so children can observe the fascinating changes over a period of time.
Melt me challenge
For this activity children each have an ice block of equal size placed on a plate - an ice cube will do. Challenge the children to melt their ice completely, as quickly as they can. There's one rule - the children can only use their own resources. So attempts to melt the cube by breathing on it, rubbing or holding it would be acceptable, but putting it near the radiator or pouring water on it would not. The first child to melt their ice is the winner.
Icy hide and seek
Split the children into two teams, and assign playworkers to each. The first team runs off and hides, dropping ice cubes at intervals as they go to mark their route. The second team should wait for ten minutes, and then set off on the ice trail to find the hiding team - they must hurry before the ice melts. Using coloured ice makes the game easier.
Elegant ice bowls
Two bowls are required for this activity, which must fit one inside the other with 2 to 3cm of space all the way around - plastic pudding basins are ideal and come in a range of sizes. Children will need an assortment of attractive edible items to use as decoration, such as herb leaves, blueberries or cake decorations.
First, the outside of the small bowl and the inside of the large bowl should be lightly greased with cooking oil. Next, the children half fill the smallest bowl with water (to weigh it down) and put it in the middle of the second bowl. They place their decorative objects in the space between the bowls and top up the cavity with water. The whole thing is then placed in a freezer to set. Once completely frozen (usually overnight), stand the whole thing in a sink of luke-warm water for one minute, then carefully ease out the small bowl. The outside bowl can then be turned out gently, and a beautifully formed ice bowl will be revealed, complete with frozen decoration inside.
Why not turn the bowls out just before snack time, and fill them with home-made ice-cream (see below) as a special treat - the children will need to eat it up right away though, before their crockery begins to melt. If you don't want to eat from the ice bowls, try replacing the edible items with craft resources such as sequins, beads and confetti for a stunning look, or a natural collection of twigs, leaves and petals - display the bowls upturned as decorative domes. It's worth taking photos to keep long after the elegant ice bowls have gone.
Edible ice treats
It's fun to make ice-lollies, and moulds can be bought cheaply from cookware shops - you simply fill them with diluted juice and then freeze.
You can use the same principle to make coloured, flavoured ice cubes to enjoy in drinks. Children could also each make their own portion of a delicious variety of soft ice-cream, with a simple in-the-bag recipe.
Take a one-pint size zip-lock plastic bag (available from most supermarkets in the food wrapping aisle), and fill with one tablespoon of granulated sugar, half a cup of milk and a drop of vanilla essence. Seal the bag carefully and place inside a second zip-lock bag, the three-pint size this time. Add six tablespoons of rock salt to the second bag, and then fill it up with ice-cubes. Having fastened the zip securely, children shake their bags vigorously, and they will have ice-cream in their small bag within five to ten minutes. They then simply turn it out into a bowl and enjoy.
Ice skating
Most cities have an ice rink, and you may like to organise a visit, both to skate and to find out about how the ice is made and maintained. The majority have instructors offering beginner's tuition - consider hiring a professional to give your children a group lesson, providing expert supervision in the process. Ensure the session begins with safety tips, and take the opportunity to remind children that they should never skate, or stand, on frozen ponds. You will be able to hire skates of course, but do ask the children to bring an extra pair of thick socks with them - since skates are not known for their comfort, many rinks advise that children wear skates a size bigger than their normal shoe size, padding them out with the socks.
Figure-skating has an interesting history. For example, did you know that it originated in Scandinavia, and that literature first mentions skating in London as early as 1180? Since the World Championships began in 1899, Britain has won 81 medals, in addition to ten Olympic medals, six of them gold. There has been a strong association between the sport and royalty - Queen Victoria and Prince Albert were both keen skaters.
Find out more
Why not find out more with the children using books and the internet? (You can log on for free at the library.) For information, downloads, activities and links, www.kidsdomain.com/sports is a great place to start.
You may be inspired to expand your icy research since there are so many other interesting possibilities - how about finding out about icebergs, or exploring the properties of ice in a science book? Do the children know that ice floats, or that water expands when it's frozen? Can they think of any experiments to test these principles out?
This theme is diverse, and certainly worth revisiting spontaneously should nature provide you with the fantastic opportunity to explore enthralling icicles, or to see a stunning iced spider's web. But in the meantime, you can still enjoy many icy activities - whatever the weather outside.