Ice Decoration

A smile is a powerful weapon; you can even break ice with it.  

~Author Unknown

On nights which will dip below freezing as it did this morning (down to -5degC), 

we love to set up a bowl of water, 

with a doily tied to a string lying within, 

in the hope that it will not thaw too early in the morning,

so we can hang it up on our balcony, 

we watch it hang, 

we watch it spin, 

we watch it sway in the wind.

We wonder how long the ice will hang, 

predict the time it will fall, 

then watch and wait as we enjoy morning tea....

then lunch...

today it fell after we predicted, 

no-one noticed it fall

as we were all enjoying a quiet time after lunch.

I'm amazed how much a simple little decoration

has engaged my girls

it has truly captured their attention.

We wonder about the physics of it all - 

the direction of the wind, 

the forces holding the ice up, 

holding it to the doily, 

we explore the three states of water - 

gas, liquid and solid,

the forces turning the ice, 

changing its direction, 

changing the way it swings from side to side, 

to round and round.

Yet the best part of the whole experience of making this ice decoration I am told is:

watching it fall!

(which is, of course, very difficult to photograph)