Summer is the perfect time to learn something new, and what better way to do that than by learning how to make ice cream? Whether you’re a teacher looking for fun activities to keep your students engaged or a parent looking for something fun and educational for your kids, here are three easy and delicious ice cream-making activities they can learn this summer.
How Does Ice Cream Making Build Basic Chemistry Skills
Making ice cream requires an understanding of basic chemistry principles. Transforming a liquid mixture into a creamy frozen treat involves changing the state of matter from liquid to solid. This process depends on the chemical interactions between the ingredients, notably the combination of fat and sugar that helps create an ideal texture in ice cream. Additionally, when churning or stirring, air bubbles are trapped, which helps create a smoother product by trapping heat as it freezes.
Ice cream making also relies heavily on temperature control because the water will remain liquid without an adequate cooling method. Therefore, proper cooling is essential because it helps speed up chemical reactions and prevents crystallization in the mixture. In addition, controlling temperature helps avoid melting and refreezing, affecting the texture and quality of the result.
Finally, why does ice cream making builds basic chemistry skills? By teaching students to understand how different ingredients interact with each other and how to manipulate temperature and other variables to achieve desired results, they can learn many of the core concepts behind chemistry — such as solubility, pH levels, evaporation rates, enthalpy changes, and more — that are essential for their future scientific endeavors. Students also learn the basics of earning rewards after a successful project; in this case, it’s food, but in another case, it will be an interesting reaction.
Here Are Three Ice Cream Making-Activities
- Ice Cream In a Bag: Making ice cream in a bag is one of the easiest and most fun ways to learn how to make ice cream this summer. You only need two Ziplock bags, some ice, rock salt, milk, sugar, and vanilla extract. Fill one Ziplock bag with 1/2 cup of milk, two tablespoons of sugar, and 1/4 teaspoon of vanilla extract. Make sure the bag is sealed tightly! Place the bag inside the other Ziplock bag with 1 cup of ice and four tablespoons of rock salt. Seal both bags tightly and shake vigorously for 5-7 minutes until the mixture in the inner bag has thickened to a smooth consistency. Once the desired texture has been achieved, remove the inner bag from the outer one and enjoy your homemade treat! Teachers Serving these ingredients can change things based on the student’s preferences.
- Egg Carton Ice Cream Craft: Egg Carton Ice Cream Craft is the perfect activity for young kids looking to make their ice cream. The craft allows them to create fun shapes and colors while learning about the science behind ice cream. You only need an egg carton, some paint, an ice cream mix, and a few essential kitchen items like a bowl, spoon, and measuring cup. Start by painting the egg carton in any way desired. Once it has dried, fill each egg mold with 1/3 cup of ice cream mix. Place the carton in the freezer for an hour or two until it’s solid enough to remove from the carton. Scoop the mixture out using a spoon or measuring cup, and enjoy! Add sprinkles, chopped nuts, chocolate chips, or other toppings before serving for fun!
- Coffee Can Ice Cream: This activity requires more materials than the first two, but it’s still easy for kids to do independently (with adult supervision). All you need is a large coffee can with a lid, rock salt, half-and-half or heavy cream, sugar, vanilla extract, crushed ice, and some smaller cans that fit inside the larger one. Mix all ingredients in one of the smaller cans, then place it inside the giant can, along with some crushed ice and rock salt. Seal up both cans tightly, then shake vigorously for 10 minutes or until you have homemade ice cream!
How Long Can Homemade Ice Cream Last?
Making ice cream during chemistry projects is a fun and delicious way to learn about the science behind freezing point depression. An ice cream sample’s shelf life during a chemistry project can vary depending on its stored temperature. Generally, if stored at -18℃, an ice cream sample can last up to 24.27 months. However, since these temperatures tend to fluctuate whenever we pull the ice cream out of the freezer, the average experts say it is around three months.
Making ice cream during a chemistry project involves dissolving chemicals in the water to lower the solution’s freezing point, creating delicious frozen treats. A critical factor in determining how long your homemade ice cream will last is the amount of air added to it, known as overrun. If the volume of ice cream is doubled by adding air, then the overrun is 100%, which is the maximum amount for optimal shelf life.
Making your ice cream during a chemistry project can be done with just a few simple ingredients and in less than 10 minutes! You only need milk, salt, and ice; you’ll have your homemade frozen treat.
In conclusion, when making your ice cream during a chemistry project, you can expect it to last up to 24.27 months when stored at -18℃ with an optimal overrun of 100%. You can make your delicious frozen treat with milk, salt, and ice in less than 10 minutes!
Student Hires and Ice Cream Making
Student Hires is an organization that provides hands-on, project-based learning experiences led by college students. Our mission is to increase the career readiness of disadvantaged students and help them achieve their goals. We offer various services, such as tutoring, mentoring, resume building, job placement, and more.
Our staff is working with Luv 2 Play to provide our kids with an innovative summer program experience! This unique place has a playroom that offers the ideal balance of fun and learning. Students take their time to hear and experience fun activities similar to making ice cream. We provide a caring environment where your child may flourish academically, socially, and emotionally as part of our collaboration with Luv 2 Play Chino. Furthermore, Student Hires’ partnership with Luv2Play adds another layer of enjoyment thanks to their engaging indoor playground.
Conclusion
Your students can try out one of our numerous fun activities this summer to make their mouth-watering treats at home. By doing so, they can relish eating what they create while gaining knowledge of crucial science concepts.