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Do an Icy Experiment 3

What happens to water when it freezes? Do the water particles or molecules get smaller and more dense? Or do they take up more space -- that is, expand -- when they freeze?

Try this experiment with your kids: Fill a disposable plastic bottle with water, put on the cap, and then leave it outside when the temperature is below freezing (or put it in the freezer). As the water freezes into ice, what happens to the bottle's shape and size?

Hint: Water is different from most liquids. Most of them shrink and get more dense when frozen. But water doesn't. It takes up more space when frozen -- it expands! How did your bottle experiment maybe prove this?

Looking for more kid-friendly experiments on ice? Ranger Rick's got 'em:

Ranger Rick: Frosty Fun