Did you hear the scoop? You can teach your kids about science and create a delicious, sweet treat too!
How? Ice Cream In A Bag!
We know what you’re thinking: “Science experiment? Ice cream…in a bag? Sounds messy.”
Don’t worry – Ice Cream In A Bag is easy like “Sundae” morning, requiring only a few supplies you probably already have “sprinkled” throughout your kitchen.
Out of every science experiment out there, this one from I Can Teach My Child may be our favorite — so give this DIY a try!
Ingredients
• ½ cup half-&-half (or milk)
• 1 tablespoon sugar
• ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
• ½ cup of rock salt
• 2 sandwich-sized baggies
• 2 gallon-sized baggies
• Ice
• Winter gloves
Directions
- Pour ½ cup of half-&-half or milk into one of your sandwich-sized baggies. We used milk and it worked wonderfully. Add 1 tablespoon sugar and ½ teaspoon of vanilla extract. Get all of the air out and then seal the bag. Place your filled bag into another sandwich-sized baggie and seal.
- Put your double-bag inside of a gallon-sized baggie and add your ice and ½ cup of rock salt. Place this bag inside another gallon-sized bag (you will have 2 small bags and 1 large bag inside).
- Have your child put on some winter gloves and start shaking!
- Shake the bag for about 15-20 minutes, passing it around the various members of the family!
- Ready to be served! This only makes a serving of ice cream. If you want to double the recipe, you can (just use quart-sized baggies instead of sandwich-sized). Don’t attempt to do any more than doubling, though, or it will be too heavy for the child to carry when you add ice and rock salt.
How Does It Work?
The salt lowers the temperature at which ice freezes, or raises the temperature at which it melts (which is why we use it on the roads in the winter). Instead of melting at 32 degrees Fahrenheit (0 degrees Celsius), the rock salt causes the ice to melt at a temperature much lower, depending on how much salt you add. The more rock salt you use, the lower the temperature the ice will melt at. This creates an environment that the ice cream mixture can freeze below the normal 32 degrees. Then the salt/ice slush absorbs the heat from the cream mixture, lowering the temp of the cream and causing the cream to ‘ice’, creating the yummy ice cream texture!
Did you make the Ice Cream In A Bag? “Cone-gratulations!” You deserve this dessert.