This post over at beagooddad.com made me think of one of my favorite things to do with kids that is SUPER easy.
Ziploc ice cream!
First, take a gallon sized freezer bag and fill it about a third of the way full with ice.
Then, put in two good handfuls of rock salt.
Ok, now set that to the side for a minute and get out a pint size freezer bag. Fill that with:
Half a cup of milk
One tablespoon of sugar
One or two drops of vanilla
Seal the pint sized bag, and try to get most of the air out of it.
Now put the pint sized bag inside the gallon bag, and SHAKE. Shake for five minutes or so. You might want a tea towel to wrap around it or something because it does get cold. When it starts to look and feel like ice cream, eat and enjoy!
I love activities like this for kids. They think it’s the coolest thing ever (no pun intended) and it teaches so many things (sequencing, cause and effect, chemistry, delaying gratification…). Yes, it does make a mess. The condensation drips on the floor. Someone’s bag might burst. Oh well. It’s just a little salty water. Mop it up with a few paper towels and move on. Yes, they will dribble the ice cream all over themselves. Clothes wash. Yes, someone might accidentally turn the bottle of vanilla over on you, but that is ok. That’s why 99% of my clothes come from places like Old Navy, Kohl’s, and New York and Company. Don’t wear your “dry clean only” to school. Wear the pants that can be washed and dried at home. I rarely leave school without something on me. I don’t mind. (Usually it’s glue. I swear, you must have to be like 15 before you learn not to squeeze a glue bottle as hard as you can. Even big kids do that. Every kid I’ve ever been around is always struck by selective blindness when I demonstrate making “baby dots”.)
Anyway, this ice cream is a whole lot of fun to make and it really does taste good too. You can even add mix-ins or toppings if you want to be really awesome.
Just make sure you schedule this for before recess or going home time or something. It’s amazing what one tablespoon of sugar can do to a kid.
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