Frozen Family: A Fun Winter Activity to Try This Year!

Fun winter activity: A Frozen Family

Want to make the neighbors do a double take or surprise your kids! Making a frozen family was a great way to have some laughs and spend time outdoors this winter. This fun winter activity of freezing clothes was inspired by the 1000 hours outside group. This challenge has had so many positive benefits for our family as we set a goal to spend 1000 hours outside in one year. Interested in the challenge for the new year, check it out here!

Science Lesson

I think we all can agree that you can do some pretty unique stuff with ice! If you want a quick little science lesson to combine with this fun activity, teach your children about hypothermia. This science experiment will illustrate to children why it is important to stay dry during cold weather, especially freezing temperatures. When clothing becomes wet and temperatures reach below freezing, the moisture in the clothes starts to freeze and the fabric will become stiff with ice. Hypothermia can occur as a result of wet, frozen clothing combined with being exposed to cold temperatures for prolonged time periods. Hypothermia is a drop in core body temperature 95°F (35°C) that occurs when a body loses heat faster that it can produce it.

Okay, let’s get to making a winter frozen family so you can be the coolest parents around. (pun totally intended) Before you start, here are a couple tips and some items you should gather to help it go smoothly.

Supplies

Cold weather ( below freezing)

Clothes

Plastic Hangers

Plastic Bats or Pool Noodles (helps to form the shape of the legs.)

Tips

• First make sure it is cold enough. It was about 18 degrees when we created our frozen family. The closer to zero degrees the faster it will freeze.

• Chose a day where the wind is mild or you will be fighting against it.

• Time Allotted: Each clothing item took about 10-15 minutes to freeze. We spent about an hour assembling and waiting for the clothes to freeze so we could mold them.

• Chose clothes that are cotton base so they will freeze quickly (wool will take longer).

• Opt for wider legged pants for a sturdier base, (my daughter’s skinny jeans were the least sturdy and most challenging.)

Directions

Gather clothes chose pants that have a wider base. It helps to fan out the bottom of the jeans legs to make the widest base possible.

Get the clothes wet and bring them outside (think just out of the washing machine, completely wet, but not dripping. ) Using a bucket will help to carry them outside..

Monitor them as they begin to freeze Depending on the temperature this can happen quite quickly. If the sun is out it takes longer, so opt for a shady spot.

We utilized coat hangers for the shirts and hung them, which helped them freeze faster.

We laid the pants on the ground, but if you have a clothes line that would also work. An optional aid is to place plastic bats or pool noodles in the legs to help hold them open.

Begin to mold them when they are malleable, but not completely frozen solid. Shape them into the positions you desire.

Assemble the pants and shirts atop each other. You can also pound a stake into the ground if you’re struggle to get them to stay up. We used a stake for my daughter’s pants.

At the very end my husband had the ingenious idea to grab a floor fan and they froze in less than 5 minutes, although watch them closely so the pant leg openings don’t freeze shut.

Once you’ve assembled your people, make sure you get some fun pictures of your epic snow family!

Closing Thoughts

Who says winter can’t be fun!! Hope this activity and winter science experiment inspires you to get outside and enjoy the snow and winter days! Needing recommendations on clothing to keep your children warm this winter check out our top picks for Winter Essential Snow Gear.

Don’t lose this fun idea. Make sure you save the pin for later and follow Discovering Anew for more outdoor adventures!