Ice Cream Science

What You Need:

• 1 cup of Milk
• 1 tsp sugar
• 1 tsp vanilla
• Sealable plastic bag
• 1 TBSP salt Salt
• Ice
• Clean round can

What You Do:

1. Review the different types of matter with your kid: liquid, solid, and gas. Explain that you’re going to make your own ice cream while learning about liquids and solids.
2. Give several examples of liquids and of solids using common foods or household items, such as water, milk, apples, and bread. Explain that solids stay in the same shape, whereas liquids do not.
3. Then ask your kid whether he thinks ice cream is a liquid or a solid. Explain that you’re going to try an experiment using ice cream.
4. Place sugar, milk and vanilla into the bag and seal it. Observe that two of these ingredients are liquids, and one is a solid.
5. Put ice into the can until it is half filled.
6. Place the can on the ground and roll it around for about 15 minutes. Now you will have made your own ice cream!
7. Ask your kid if he can guess how the ingredients inside the bag might have changed by mixing them around. Discuss how adding the cold ice might have impacted the ingredients as well.
8. Remove the bag from the can and observe any differences in its state of matter (liquid vs. solid) and temperature.
9. Lastly, taste the ice cream that you have created and see how it turned out!