Mattie Wells Elementary STEM Teacher Sierra Sanders recently conducted a tasty science experiment with her fourth and fifth-grade exploratory classes, where they attempted to make ice cream from scratch.
While teaching a fourthgrade class, Sanders began her lesson by asking her students, “How does making ice cream relate to science?”
One student raised their hand to respond.
“Ice and salt have a reaction that makes it a slushie type of ice cream,” the student said.
Before beginning their fun experiment, Sanders had students watch an informational video about the phases of matter to help them understand how making ice cream relates to science.
She explained to students that when a shift in a phase of matter occurs, like a liquid turning into a solid, that is science.
“Can someone tell me what the phase of turning a liquid into a solid is?” the teacher asked.
The class answered, “Freezing!” and then listened closely to Sanders’ directions to begin making their frozen treat.
Each student had a cup of whole milk, sugar, and strawberry extract. Students stirred that solution, poured it into a plastic bag, and sealed it tightly. Then, students worked with Sanders to pour salt on the ice and shake the bags carefully with towels to protect their hands until the liquid formed into a solid.
“It is a trial-and-error activity,” Sanders told students, as not everyone would end up with strawberry ice cream.
In the end, a couple of students succeeded in turning their solution into ice cream, while the others enjoyed cool strawberry milk.
The students agreed they had a fun time and learned about science.
