You have got to have a little patience for this one, but trust me the results are spectacular!
What do I need?
- Two plastic bowls (one which fits inside the other)
- Marbles/stones
- Christmas items (foliage, tinsel etc)
- Duct tape
- Boiled cooled water
- Freezer
- Tea light
Safety First!
Always ask your grown-up to help you. Hazards include: boiling water, ice (very cold and slippery), if using a real candle (flame and hot wax).
How do I do it?
- Gather some festive items (they will get wet and may get ruined). Feel free to experiment with natural and synthetic materials.
- Place your small containers in the large one (add some marbles or stones to weight it down).
- Put items in the gap between the two containers.
- Add cooled boiled water; Tape your smaller container in place (you want it to float a little so your luminary has a base).
- Pop in the freezer overnight.
- Remove from freezer, allow to thaw a little so you can remove the containers. Try to be patient as using warm water to release may cause cracks in your luminary.
- Add a tea light (real or battery powered) and enjoy!
What’s going on?
Boiling water before you freeze it can remove some of the air. Air is a mixture of gases including nitrogen, oxygen and carbon dioxide. With less gas trapped inside the ice it becomes more clear.
Take it further!
- Make a bowl shaped one and enjoy eating a frozen dessert out of it like ice cream.
- What effects can you achieve if you add food colouring or biodegradable glitter?
- In Scandinavian countries these ice lanterns are left outside on doorsteps – how long will your last outside?
If you enjoyed this activity why not check out The Academy?!
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