Just Freeze: Frozen Water Beads

Mom brought a pack of water beads with us on vacaye and, lucky for us, spotted this idea while we were at the shore.  After soaking the beads for about 1/2 a day, mom split the lot into two big bowls and stuck them right in the freezer.  When we checked the next morning, we had quite the surprise.  Big ice crystals had formed around the water beads (although the beads themselves hadn't frozen).  We set up shop on the deck and went to work -- Cami set out bowls for her "doggie" and I mixed up concoctions.  And we stayed nice and cool in the process.  If mom can ever sufficiently clean out our freezer, we'll be doing this at home as well.