STEMing with Kids
By Christine Leavitt
School has started up, and the hot days have continued. For a quick and delicious after-school snack, homemade ice cream can bring sweet relief! Check out this video or blog to learn how you can use science to make ice cream in a gallon-sized sealable bag!
While shaking the bag, which takes about 5 minutes, you will also have the opportunity to talk to your child about science!
For example, if you want to create an experiment while making delicious ice cream, use one bag that has ice cubes with salt and one bag that has ice cubes without salt. Your child will quickly observe how important the salt is in turning the liquid ingredients into a more frozen state, as the bag of ice without salt will melt before the liquid ingredients become a thickened and frozen consistency.
You will then be able to explain that salt affects how water freezes by lowering the freezing point of water. The addition of salt to the ice allows the ice cream mixture to thicken before the ice is completely melted. You can then follow up by asking, based on your child’s observation of how the ice interacted with salt, why cities in cold locations frequently salt roads in the winter?
You can also introduce the word “emulsion” to your child, as ice cream is an emulsion. An emulsion is a mixture of two or more liquids that generally do not mix well (such as oil and water). In an emulsion, one liquid becomes dispersed into the other liquid, such as the fat molecules in the cream mixes into the water and sugar to form ice cream.
What better way to pass hot afternoons than enjoying ice cream, quality time with your child(ren), and talking about science!
Additionally, the Arizona Science Center is hosting a science camp for Fall Break this year for 1st-6th graders on the science of candy! Be sure to check that out if your kids are interested in learning more about the science of food and remember that they do offer scholarships so that all students are able to learn!
STEMing for the win!
Written by:
Graduate Research Assistant
Gender Studies
