Ice Ice Baby!

By Nathalie Viau
January 16, 2009

Ever wonder how icicles are formed? When the ice or snow sitting on your roof gets warmed up by the sun, it starts to melt and trickle down from the eaves of your house. If it runs off into an area where the environment is below zero, it starts to refreeze. Drip after drop, the water solidifies and becomes an icicle, growing longer with every drop.

But don’t take our word for it. Try out this activity: Icicle magic! You’ll need some tin cans with the tops removed, a hammer, some nails of various width, string, water and food colouring.

• Make a hole in the bottom of each can using a hammer and nail. Use different sized nails for each can. The goal is to have a set of cans with holes of various sizes. Make sure that the holes are small enough so water will drip slowly. If your hole is a little too big, plug them up with a piece of cotton ball.
• Make a couple of holes at the top edge of each can so you can hang them up with a string.
• Fill the cans with water. A few drops of food colouring can be placed in each one.
• Hang the cans outside, preferably where they can be easily observed from a window.
• Look regularly to see how your icicles grow. Depending on weather conditions, it may take days or even weeks for icicles to form.