#3345. Shaking up Ice Cream

Mathematics, level: Elementary
Posted Sat Jan 29 11:00:20 PST 2005 by Susan Bradshaw (bradshsm@pickens.k12.sc.us).
Dacusville Elementary, Dacusville, USA
Materials Required: Measuring cups, spoons, recipe ingrediants
Activity Time: 30-45 minutes depending on class size
Concepts Taught: Mathematics and Measurement

Shaking up Ice Cream
Age Level -- Upper Elementary
SC Standards II B. Select and apply appropriate standard units and tools to measure length, area, volume, weight, time, temperature, and the size of angles

Materials: For each student:
Spoons
Ziploc sandwich bags (2 per person)
Ziploc gallon size bags
½ cup milk
1 tbsp. Sugar
½ tsp vanilla
6 tbsp table salt
Also:
Ice --to fill half of each gallon bag
Measuring cups
Measuring spoons
Plastic spoons

Objective: My students will use measurement tools to properly measure liquid and solid ingredients in a recipe. They will follow written directions of a recipe and oral directions of putting it all together and making it. Students will learn to accurately time themselves for shaking the bags.

Procedures: First, all people involved in this activity should start with clean hands and work area. Assemble students in small groups of 4-6. Teacher will allow students to accurately measure their salt into their large Ziploc bags. Teacher will provide guidance to have level spoonfuls and liquid measurement. Teacher can move from group to group or assign a student supervisor to help each group. Students will then double bag their sandwich size bags by slipping a hand inside one and then inside the other. Milk, sugar and vanilla are then put into the inside small bag. Small bags are closed up with the inner one sealed first and then the outer one. They are then put inside the larger bag, which already has the salt in it. The students are to add ice to the large bag with the salt. Students then must time themselves for 10 minutes and lightly shake the bag. Teacher needs to instruct students that rough shaking will result in salty ice cream, as the inner bags will break. Pass out plastic spoons. At the end of 10 minutes, students may take out the inner ice cream bags and properly discard the larger bags. Enjoy!!

Assessment: Would be informal observation by teacher that measurements are done correctly and shaking is not rough.

Extensions and Integration: This activity lends itself well to integration with Reading stories, which have to do with winter activities such as those about Iditerod. Science activities can include hypothesizing why the salt made an effect on the whole procedure and how that lends itself to real life and salting the winter roads. Writing activities can include a wide range of prompts from adventures on a snowy day to the most favorite wintertime activity. Math activities can include conversions from cups to pints or gallons or how to increase the recipe for more people.