I was thinking recently about my first ever class as an NQT. All those years ago, I arrived in year 4 and met with my colleagues, ready to plan literacy for the term ahead. I’d actually qualified as a secondary history teacher and only spent a week volunteering in primary school at this point – I was full of enthusiasm but definitely felt like a fish out of water. I have to teach Music… and French?!
Thankfully, in my year 4 team were two lovely, experienced and creative teachers, who not only looked after me and guided me throughout that year. They gave me countless ideas to use across the curriculum, including the one that I’ll share now – Ice Balloons.
You will need: A balloon, a tap, room in a freezer, a bowl/dish and scissors. That’s it!
Method: Attach the balloon to the tap and fill with water. Tie into a knot and place the water balloon into the freezer. Bring out a day later, cutting the balloon away at the knot (run hot water over this to speed up.) The ice then sits in a dish (a pasta bowl is best to collect water but also show off the ice balloon) where it sits and acts as writing stimulus for your students.
It’s that simple and the kids just love it!
We left our ice balloons out throughout the day in school. Once every hour, we would stop and examine them, looking out for changes in size, to see any new lines or cracks appearing. We spent a lot of time listening in silence, then describing the fizzing and crackling sounds we could hear. We used all of our senses, and we made notes. If only I’d known then what I now know, I’d have been patting myself on the back for incorporating #mindfulness into my literacy.
During the following week, we delved into the thesaurus, discovering wonderful new descriptive words that we might use to truly do our ice balloons justice. We uncovered similes, metaphors, personification, onomatopoeia (CRACK!) and our ice balloons were no longer frozen water, but ethereal, magical orbs, personal to each one of us. The end result – the Ice Balloon poetry – was simply stunning. Below, I’ve written my own version of our poem, following the same structure that the kids used. It isn’t a patch on theirs, but it will give you a solid structure if you’re wanting to try this with your children/class/group/pupil.
My Ice Balloon
My Ice Balloon sizzles and crackles and hums with mystery.
It is strength, wisdom and power.
My Ice Balloon is a map, covered in paths, roads and rivers that lead to unseen places.
It is a magical, new world within a world.
My Ice Balloon is like a book, crammed with stories of good versus evil, heroes and villains.
It is a crystal ball, whispering secrets that only I can hear.
I will tread along the crystal paths and float on icy rivers.
I will open glass doors that have never been opened.
It’s tasks like this that restore your faith in humanity. Seriously people – just look at what you can do with a frozen lump of water.
Thinking of trying this? Already tried it? Think you can do better? Tell me below.
Categories: Teaching and Learning
Skills with Frills 
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