Ice On A String Trick

Ask your children if they can lift an ice cube out of a glass of water, with a piece of string, without getting their hands wet.

Chances are they won't be able to, but you can show them how.

1. Lay one end of the string across the ice, and dangle the other over the edge of the glass.


2. Sprinkle the ice, and string with table salt.
   


3. Wait 5 minutes.


4. Pick up the ice.

The salt lowers the melting point of the ice, and causes it to melt a little. The string sits in the water on top of the ice, and gets frozen to it, as the ice refreezes.

This is one of over 200 simple science experiments using inexpensive items, and materials available in every household, in Margaret Kenda and Phyllis S. Williams' Science Wizardry for Kids - another excellent book of experiments for children.

One of these days, I'm going to do a side by side comparison of all of our favorite children's science books. But in the meantime, you can always find more fun with science at this week's Science Sunday link-up, hosted by Adventures in Mommydom.

It's great to be a homeschooler.