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3 Step Ziplock Ice-Cream
I scream. You scream. We all scream for ice-cream. Who doesn't love ice-cream? Even though it is getting colder outside and everyone is starting to pull out their heavy coats we still enjoy a cold treat. Ziplock Ice-Cream is a wonderful way to get preschoolers interested in cooking. Many preschoolers do not know what ingredients make up their favorite foods or how they are made. This simple food activity takes preschoolers through the process of making ice cream from beginning to end.
Whenever you are cooking with preschoolers it is best to have all the ingredients collected before you start. This prevents preschoolers from loosing interest in the project before you are finished. It is not necessary to measure out the ingredients before you start. Learning to measure ingredients is an important cooking skill for preschoolers to learn. They enjoy being a part of the process and they are developing essential math skills at the same time.
Ingredients for Ziplock Ice-Cream
1/2 cup milk1/4 cup half and half
1 tablespoon sugar
1/4 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 sandwich size Ziploc bags
1 one gallon size Ziploc bag
2 cups ice
1 tablespoon salt
What To Do
Step One:Fill one sandwich sized Ziplock bag with ½ cup of milk, ¼ cup of half and half, 1 tablespoon of sugar, and ¼ teaspoon of vanilla extract. Seal the bag securely, making sure to remove as much excess air as you can. Place that bag inside the second sandwich sized Ziplock bag and seal that bag as well.
Step Two:
Fill the gallon size Ziploc bag with 2 cups of ice and 1 tablespoon of salt. Place the smaller bag that has been filled with the milk mixture inside the larger bag and seal it firmly, getting as much air out of the bag as you can.
Step Three:
Turn on some music and let your child shake themselves silly. Dance to the music and shake the bag of ice-cream mixture as hard as you can. Younger children may need some help if their arms get tired. Try switching off and taking turns. In 5-10 minutes you will have a delicious batch of homemade soft ice-cream.
If you prefer harder ice-cream, place the bag of soft ice-cream in the freezer for 1-2 hours and then enjoy.
Optional:
Add additional flavor to your Ziplock ice-cream by mixing in your favorite treats. Stir in some chocolate chips and chopped nuts for a crunchy treat. Add a few drops of peppermint oil and some chocolate chips for a mint flavored ice-cream.
Be creative and experiment with different flavors. You may discover a new favorite ice-cream flavor.
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