STEM/Storytime Saturday: Ice Cream!

This weekend, we combined Saturday Storytime and STEM Saturday, and had STEM/Storytime Saturday! It was all about ice cream - and it was FUN!

We read books about ice cream. In Gorilla Loves Vanilla by Chae Strathie, five animals come into Sam's Sundae Shop for ice cream and Sam serves them exactly  what they want - like stinky blue cheese ice cream for the mouse! Should I Share My Ice Cream by Mo Willems told the story of Elephant, who can't decide if he should share his ice cream with his friend Piggie. 

We made an ice cream cone from paper. A rectangle of brown paper was decorated like a waffle and twisted into a cone shape. Then a small paper plate was decorated with cotton, pompoms, pieces of yarn - and lots of other materials. Two slits in the top of the cone made the paper plate stand atop the cone - and it looked like an ice cream cone!

We each made ice cream - in a bag! We put half and half, sugar, and vanilla flavor in a small plastic bag, then put that bag inside a bigger bag filled with ice cubes and lots and lots of salt! We shook it as the bag got colder and colder when the salt interacted with the ice. Some of us wore mittens! But the ingredients in the small bag soon froze and, when we opened it, there was vanilla ice cream! We scooped it into bowls and added chocolate chips or sprinkles. It was pretty yummy!