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Freezer bag ice cream

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A chemistry experiment with a treat at the end!

Warm summer days call for a nice frozen treat for a snack. Ice cream has been made for many years and it is actually an example of some pretty complicated chemistry. Try this fun activity with children for hands-on work with energy concepts.A chemistry experiment with a treat at the end! How does the salt help in making the milk mixture freeze?

Safety note: Be sure to explain safety precautions to children. This experiment uses ice at a low temperature, so gloves or towels may be called for. Measuring devices should not be mixed between substances. Before and after this experiment, be sure to thoroughly clean hands. Disclaimer: All information provided on this site is for entertainment and education purposes only. Using any information from thecasabouquet.com is at your own risk.

Instructions

Set up assembly line stations on a long table or countertop: Quart bags, sugar, milk, vanilla, gallon bags, ice, salt. ice-cream-ingredients

Adults can measure and give ingredients to the children as they pass down the line OR give the children practice with measuring by asking them to measure and pour as they go down the line (this will take longer and make more mess, but it may be worth it.)

Put two quart bags together. Pour sugar, milk, and vanilla into the inner one. Seal tightly.

Put two gallon bags together. Pour ice into the inner one. Measure the temperature of the ice. Sprinkle with rock salt. Measure the temperature of the ice with salt. Put the sealed quart bags into the ice bag and seal tightly.

Go outside (if possible) and shake, roll, or toss your bag! Be sure to keep it moving, it will be very cold on your hands. The soft ice cream should form within 7 to 15 minutes.

Remove the quart bags and dry off. Measure the temperature of the ice-salt-water. Open the ice cream bag and use a spoon to enjoy!

Dispose of the salt-ice-water appropriately and dispose of the bags.

Discuss the mechanical energy each child is putting into the freezer bag ice cream making. How does a person get energy to do the work?

What happens to the temperature of the ice at each point? How does the salt help in making the milk mixture freeze? Is the milk bag transferring energy to the ice bag? Or vice versa?

Supplies

(per person)

  • ½ cup cold milk
  • 1 tbsp. sugar
  • 1/4 tsp. vanilla
  • ¼ cup rock or ice cream salt
  • 3 cups ice
  • 2 quart size freezer reclosable bags
  • 2 gallon size freezer reclosable bags
  • paper towels
  • spoon
  • towel or gloves
  • thermometer or Vernier LabQuest with temperature probe
  • paper or notebook for recording results, pen

Notes for scaling up: 4 lb. bag of sugar has 151 tbsp.; ½ gallon of milk makes 16 half-cups; 10 lb. bag of ice should make 4 or 5 servings; 4 lb. box of ice cream salt makes about 38 servingsice-cream-serving

What is the science?

Content: states of matter, freezing point, energy transfer, mechanical energy, thermal energy, work

Ice cream is a frozen mixture that is classified as a colloid. Shaking the mixture could actually cause the temperature to rise. By placing it in ice, this energy causes the ice (solid) to melt. Water (liquid) freezes at 0oC. Salt causes the freezing to happen at a lower temperature, known as freezing point depression. Ice in my home freezer is -15oC. Salt helps keep the temperature in the ice cream process lower. You may want to experiment with trying to make ice cream again without the salt and see what happens to the temperature, the amount of ice, and how fast the ice cream freezes. If the children are familiar with the idea of using salt on sidewalks and roads in the winter, this experiment can help with discussing the process. You can also use this experiment to introduce Fahrenheit – Celsius conversion.horizontal bar with plumeria

Resource links

horizontal bar with plumeriaLet’s talk story

During summer camp, this is one of the favorite energy activities for children. It’s always good to do this on a hot, summer day, let the children do all the shaking outside and then take a relaxing break with a snack they made. The vanilla is good this way, but some folks like to add a little chocolate syrup or mini chocolate chips at the end. [Note in my photo the cute little dinosaur sprinkles!]

Ice cream is a very popular American treat and it’s interesting to look up the history. There are many legends, but a lot that’s not really known about the origin. Ice cream without eggs is known as “Philadelphia style”. The first printing of an American recipe was in 1792. Thomas Jefferson brought a recipe home from France with him and made it a regular dessert at Monticello and the White House. His recipe calls for a sabottiere, which was a small metal container that was hand-turned in the ice-salt bath. The cranking ice cream maker was patented by Nancy Johnson in 1843.

I’ll be looking for comments below, or contact me at lisa [at] casabouquet[dot]com.horizontal bar with plumeria

Affiliate links:  if you make a purchase using these links, I’ll receive a small compensation towards maintaining this blog, at no extra cost to you.

Bubbles and heat

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Energy can be generated in so many ways. Try this energy experiment to explore a chemical reaction.

bubbles and heat energy experiment

This experiment uses materials you can find around the house. You will mix two substances to make a third. Heat will be a factor as chemical energy. What do you think will happen when you make the mixture?

endothermic vinegar baking soda

Safety note: Be sure to explain safety precautions to children. This experiment uses acids and bases. Eye protection should be used. Measuring devices should not be mixed between substances. Disclaimer: All information provided on this site is for entertainment purposes only. Using any information from thecasabouquet.com is at your own risk.

Instructions

Power on the Vernier LabQuest. Press the “home” key and select LabApp. Connect the temperature probe in CH1 at the top of the LabQuest. Use the probe to collect temperature data. Note: this experiment can be done with a thermometer. It can also be done qualitatively by using your hand outside the bag to feel the temperature and note the differences.

endothermic lab set up

Record the room temperature first. Measure 1 tsp of vinegar with the teaspoon measure. Pour into an empty plastic bag. Measure and record the temperature of the vinegar in the bag. Feel the outside of the bag with your hand and record your observations.

Scoop 1 tsp of baking soda with the assigned teaspoon. Carefully pour into bag.

Quickly, put the temperature probe in the bag and record the temperature again.

Remove temperature probe from the bag, and feel the outside of bag. Note temperature change.

When done, carefully seal up the plastic bag and dispose in the trash.

You can continue exploring if you have some litmus or hydrion pH paper or make some red cabbage indicator. Test the pH of the baking soda, the vinegar, and the product solution. What happens to the pH of the product if you double the vinegar? Double the baking soda? Would the product solution of this reaction make a good cleaner around the house?

horizontal bar with plumeria

Supplies

  • vinegar,
  • baking soda,
  • reclosable plastic bags,
  • paper towels,
  • Paper or notebook for recording results, pen
  • LabQuest, temperature probe,
  • blue scoops (or two 1 tsp measures, or two small medicine cups).

Label the scoops with “vinegar” and “baking soda”. You donʻt want the “vinegar” spoon in the baking soda container! If you are doing this with large groups of children, the blue scoops are great. Plastic medicine cups work, but it’s hard to see the markings. You can use a permanent marker on the outside to make the marks more visible.

I recommend getting vinegar in a plastic bottle and using a reclosable plastic bag to store the box of baking soda. Keep the original containers as your “stock” containers and give the children the materials in smaller labeled containers to help with cross-contamination.

I’ve found that inexpensive classroom thermometers (the kind with the red alcohol inside) don’t hold up well if used with lots of children. A cooking thermometer will work.

measuring tools

Small cafeteria trays are great for containing mess. They help if you have to set up several workstations. They are also handy for encouraging children to help in the clean up process.

What is the science?

Content: energy, thermodynamics, endothermic, chemical reaction, temperature

This experiment involves mixing vinegar and baking soda together and measuring the temperature difference of the mixture after mixing. Here is the chemical equation:

NaHCO3 (aq) + HC2H3O2 (aq) + (heat)——> CO2 (g) + H2O (l) + NaC2H3O2 (aq)

Baking soda is sodium hydrogen carbonate, a base or alkaline. Vinegar is 5% acetic acid. The products are carbon dioxide, water, and sodium acetate. Sodium acetate, a base, is sometimes used for “salt and vinegar” flavor on snack foods. The pH scale is a measure of acidity. A pH less than 7 is an acid, higher than 7 is alkaline.

Can you explain how the reaction uses heat from the atmosphere? This is an endothermic reaction. A different process is used to burn fossil fuels and coal to emit heat (exothermic), which heats water to turn turbines.

horizontal bar with plumeria

Resource links

Letʻs talk story

Children can easily do this experiment and practice measuring and observing. Chemical energy is conceptually different to learn from physicsʻ potential and kinetic energy. Currently, many “natural” cleaning recipes on the Internet use vinegar with baking soda. This experiment introduces the science of the reaction and can open the door to discussing conservation of energy and balancing chemical equations. I like to ask children what they think is happening when they see the bubbling and foaming – many think it’s boiling. These kind of events, and following up on what is really happening, is what makes science so fun!

I’ll be looking for comments below, or contact me at lisa [at] casabouquet[dot]com.

plumeria bar

Affiliate links: if you make a purchase using these links, I’ll receive a small compensation towards maintaining this blog.

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Hand warmer reaction

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With crisper temperatures, hand warmers start popping up on dollar tables at the stores. These inexpensive ones come two to a cellophane package, one for each hand. The warming chemical is inside a non-woven  bag. Here’s an experiment that gives children a chance to explore the hand warmer reaction and learn more about the chemical reaction of iron with the air and energy.Thermal energy is demonstrated with the hand warmer reaction. Science activity measures temperature change in the chemical reaction of iron with air.

Safety note: Be sure to explain safety precautions to children. This experiment uses iron. Skin protection should be used. Avoid getting chemicals from the hand warmer on skin, eyes, or clothing. After this experiment dispose of iron in garbage. Disclaimer: All information provided on this site is for entertainment and education purposes only. Using any information from thecasabouquet.com is at your own risk.

This post contains affiliate links: if you make a purchase using these links, I’ll receive a small compensation towards maintaining this blog, at no extra cost to you.

Instructions

If possible, a few days or more in advance, carefully cut open one hand warmer bag and empty the iron filings into a sandwich or freezer reclosable storage bag. Put the open bag in a safe place and allow air to react with the iron. You may want to stir the iron around a bit every time it cools off to allow more surfaces to react with air. Seal up the bag before using it with children.

  • Ask the children to read the information on the package and note the contents, safety precautions, and average temperature.
  • Thermal energy is demonstrated with the hand warmer reaction. Science activity measures temperature change in the chemical reaction of iron with air.Carefully open the outer package and remove one hand warmer. Shake or gently squish the pack and take note of observations.

 

 

 

 

  • Very carefully, cut open the warmer pack and pour the iron into an empty reclosable plastic bag. Measure and record the temperature of the iron. Feel the bag with your hands also.hot-hands-contents
  • Leave the bag open for a few minutes. Record the number of minutes and take the temperature.hot-hands-iron
  • Close the bag. After the same number of minutes take the temperature again. Feel the bag with your hands and record observations.
  • If you have an old packet that has already reacted, perform the same experiment with it. Compare the results to the newly opened packet.

What is the energy change? What is the chemical reaction of the iron? Is there a difference between “new” iron and the packet of material that has already reacted? Where in every day life have you seen iron and iron oxide? What would be the difference in energy if the iron was in a solid block? How much extra surface area is available because of the iron being in filings? Was this reaction endothermic or exothermic? What other experiments could be done? Can you make a design for hand warmers that uses a simple chemical reaction?

Supplies

What is the science?

Content: thermal energy, chemical reaction, endothermic, exothermic

Iron reacts with humid air to make a new compound, iron oxide or iron hydroxide. The formation of the new compound releases energy into the surroundings, which we feel as heat in the hand warmer reaction. By using iron filings in the hand warmer, the exposed sides react. The hand warmer can be “recharged” by shaking or massaging the packet in air, exposing more “sides” to the air to react.

Resource links

horizontal bar with plumeriaLet’s talk story

Sometimes in STEM we get carried away with procedure and making sure we take all the measurements and then analyze. It is good to take a moment and let the children actually feel the temperature change of the hand warmer reaction with their hands. It takes the energy transformation out of the totally abstract to something they can remember. There will be many children who have never used hand warmers and might want to discuss who needs these and why they are useful.

I’ll be looking for comments below, or contact me at lisa [at] thecasabouquet[dot]com.

Glow stick experiment

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Glow sticks are easy to find in many colors around some of the holidays. What a great time for an energy glow stick experiment that demonstrates chemical and physical principles.Glow stick experiment uses thermal energy from hot and cold water to show differences in fluorescence. Kids love glow stick activities!

Safety note: Be sure to explain safety precautions to children. This experiment uses hot water. Skin protection should be used. Avoid getting chemicals from the the inside of the glow stick on skin, eyes, or clothing. After these experiments dispose of glow sticks in garbage. Disclaimer: All information provided on this site is for entertainment and education purposes only. Using any information from thecasabouquet.com is at your own risk.

Instructions

  • glow-sticks - 1Give the children two cups and 2 or 3 glow sticks of the same color. You may want to use coffee cups to help with insulation. If you have several teams of students, try giving each team a different color glow sticks to work with for comparison.
  • Ask the children to make observations of the glow stick and sketch the inside of the stick.

glow-sticks-ampule

  • Distribute water and ice cubes and water that is close to boiling. Record the temperature of each cup.glow-sticks-glowing
  • Bend the glow sticks (to break the ampule inside) and make observations. Put one stick in the hot water and one in the cold (if you have a 3rd stick, leave it on the table for room temperature). Observe and record the color and amount of light.glow-sticks - 7
  • Turn off the lights and observe. You may also want to try a black light for more observations.Glow stick experiment uses thermal energy from hot and cold water to show differences in fluorescence. Kids love glow stick activities!

What questions can you answer with an experiment like this? Do different color glow sticks behave differently with temperature changes? Can you detect a difference in brightness between different temperatures of water, between 0oC and 100oC? What happens if you switch the sticks from the two cups? How long will a glow stick give off light in the freezer, or room temperature, or in hot water? Can you think of more?

Supplies

  • Safety glasses,
  • 2 cups,
  • 2 or 3 glow sticks,
  • very hot water,
  • water with ice,
  • paper towels,
  • paper or notebook for recording results, pen

glow-sticks - 3A tip for teachers: I did not have hot tap water or a microwave available in my classroom. I tried to use the old immersion heating coil that is relatively inexpensive. I found it dangerously hot to use around children and it shorts out easily. My favorite was a plug in teakettle. It costs a bit more, but is safer, long lasting, and portable.

 

What is the science?

Content: thermal energy, chemical reaction, fluorescence

Light sticks are examples of luminescence and fluorescence. The chemical reaction that starts when you break the glass ampule in the lightstick releases enough energy to cause the electrons in the fluorescent dye to get excited. Immediately these electrons drop back down to their normal state and give off energy in the form of light. In this experiment you are using the thermal energy of the hot and cold water to change how quickly the reaction happens.

C14H10O4 (diphenyl oxalate) + H2O2 (hydrogen peroxide) –> C6H5OH (phenol) + C2O4 (peroxyacid ester)horizontal bar with plumeria

Resource links

horizontal bar with plumeriaLet’s talk story

I’ve found that children love wearing glow sticks on a necklace or the thin bracelet kind. This experiment has a good excitement value. So make a point to stock up on glow sticks when they are abundant and colorful, such as at Halloween and July 4th!

I’ll be looking for comments below, or contact me at lisa [at] thecasabouquet[dot]com.

Affiliate links:  if you make a purchase using these links, I’ll receive a small compensation towards maintaining this blog, at no extra cost to you.