Ice watching, whether the ebb and flow of lake ice-in and ice-out or of icicles forming along the eaves, is a meditative pleasure. Recently I've been watching the formation, melt, and reformation of icicles. 

Icicles form when snow or ice melts slowly as droplets that begin to fall but freeze along their downward path. Take a close look at an icicle when it is forming and you can watch water droplets run down the icicle and freeze along the way and at the tip.

Conditions have to be just right for icicles to form. Cold air temperature (below freezing) with a slightly above freezing microclimate that creates a drip zone for icicle formation is key.  

• Watch icicles forming.
• Create your own colorful icicles
• Experiment - Record the temperature next to forming icicles and compare it to the outdoor air temperature well away from the icicles. Watch and takes notes during the different times several times a day. What do you notice? What are the temperatures when icicles form, when they neither grow or melt, and when they melt? What are the sky conditions (overcast with clouds, sunny, or some combination) during best formation?