Use measurement concepts to add the necessary ice cream ingredients into a Ziploc bag. Combine 1/2 cup milk, 1/4 cup of Half and Half, 1 tbsp. of sugar and 1/4 tsp. of vanilla extract. Press as much air out as possible and seal the quart-sized bag to prevent the ingredients from leaking. Show the preschool students the label of each measuring cup so they will recognize fractions or challenge elementary students to measure the ingredients themselves. Seal that bag into a second quart-sized bag for safety. In a gallon Ziploc bag, pour 2 cups of ice and 1 tbsp. of salt. Press the air out and insert the milk mixture bag inside the larger ice bag. Shake the bag vigorously for five to 10 minutes to end the activity. Adapt the activity to a more healthy fruit sorbet by substituting real fruit juice, not concentrated juice, into the quart-sized bag and insert that bag into the ice and salt bag.
When shaking the ice cream bag to create the treat, play some fast-paced music for the children and encourage them to move their bodies to the beat of the music while shaking the bags. "Shake your Sillies Out" by either Raffi or the Wiggles are appropriate music and movement songs for the activity. Another option is to toss the bags back and forth, ensuring they are sealed well, shaking them vigorously between tosses.
Conduct an ice cream experiment by observing the feel and appearance of the ice cream through the bag layers in one-minute intervals until the 10-minute shaking session is complete. Record the results as a class on a large easel or piece of mural paper. Compare the 10-minute shake to make the ice cream in a Ziploc bag with a 10-minute limit of a hand-cranked ice cream maker and an electric ice cream maker. Instruct the students to taste each ice cream and record the observations according to appearance, taste and texture.
Use all five senses to observe the ice cream by smelling it, feeling its texture with the index finger, observing and listening to its change from a liquid to a more solid form and tasting it. Use the ice cream and a paintbrush or cotton swab to create art. When the ice cream art dries, it will disappear onto a thin piece of white printer paper. The teacher holds it over a hot lightbulb or other heat source to watch the disappearing art reappear due to milk's low tolerance to heat.