ELI5: Explain Like I'm 5

Ice

Ice is a type of frozen water. Water is a clear liquid that you can drink, shower in, swim in, and it's also used to flush toilets. When the temperature of water drops below 0℃ (32℉) it becomes very cold and hardens to make ice.

When the temperature is really, really cold outside, water droplets that are in the air can freeze up and turn into very tiny ice crystals. These ice crystals can stick together and form snowflakes that fall from the sky. When the snowflakes land on the ground, the heat from the sun can start to melt them, and if the temperature drops again at night, the melted water can freeze into ice.

People use ice in many ways to keep things cold, like when someone wants to keep their drinks cool, they can add ice cubes to it. Ice is also used to keep food fresh when people store it inside the refrigerator. Some people also like to slide around on ice by wearing special shoes called skates, and they can skate on an ice rink or even out on a frozen lake.

Ice can also be dangerous, especially when it forms on sidewalks or roads. When the surface outside is covered in ice, it can be very slippery and hard to walk on or drive on, which can cause some people to slip and fall. It's important to be very careful when walking or driving on ice to avoid getting hurt.
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