Ice Cream Shop Expedition
I scream, you scream, we all scream ... yup! ... for ice cream! A stop at your local ice cream shop is a sweet way to treat your taste buds as you serve up a little science and give your child the scoop on a rainbow of colors.
What to Pack
Bonus Explorer Activity Bonus Explorer Activity Experiment with ice to learn more about solids, liquids, vapors, melting, condensation, and evaporation. Place some ice cubes in a bowl on the counter and watch what happens. What did the ice turn into? Pour the water into a pot and boil the water, keeping kids at a safe distance to avoid burns. Watch as the water vaporizes into steam. Put a cover on the pot and turn off the heat. After a few minutes, show your child the water droplets on the inside of the lid. The steam turned back into water as it cooled. Pour the remaining water in the pot into a bowl and leave it for a few days. What happens?
For more exploring, play Dora's Great Big World game, find do-together Dora crafts, recipes, and activities, and print a personalized Explorer Kit for your child at DoraTheExplorer.com.
BACK: Dora's Bead Store Expedition / NEXT: Dora's Rainbow Hunt Expedition
report abuseWhat to Pack
- Your sweet tooth
- Explore the store. Breathe in the sights and scents as you consider your order ... and stock up on napkins!
- Count the colors. Peek into the bins behind the counter. How many colors can your child name? How many pinks? Browns? Oranges? Purples?
- Name a color. Ice cream pinks aren't just pink. They're strawberry pink, peppermint pink, pomegranate pink or cotton candy pink. Browns are chocolate, mocha, mudslide, brownies or fudge swirl. Have your child pick a color and give it an ice cream name. For example, what would he call a green ice cream? Spring Fling? Sweet Pea? Pickle? Emerald Ice? Frog Feet?
- Take a taste test. Ask for a spoonful of vanilla, lemon sherbet, coffee and peanut butter and let your child compare the flavors while you talk about tastes: sweet, sour, bitter and salty. Stick out your tongue and show him where your taste buds are. Show him his in a mirror.
- Experiment. Put a small bit of ice cream in an extra paper cup and let it sit for a few minutes. What happens? How does it change? Explain the difference between solids and liquids.
- Investigate. Ask your young designer these questions:
- What is ice cream made of? (eggs, milk, cream, sugar, plus fruit and/or nuts)
- Where does milk come from?
- What happens to ice cream when it gets too cold?
- What about when it gets too warm?
- What are waffle cones made of?
- Read all about it. Check out Ice Cream: The Full Scoop by Gail Gibbons and Curious George Goes to an Ice Cream Shop by Alan J. Shalleck, Margret Rey and H.A. Rey.
Bonus Explorer Activity Bonus Explorer Activity Experiment with ice to learn more about solids, liquids, vapors, melting, condensation, and evaporation. Place some ice cubes in a bowl on the counter and watch what happens. What did the ice turn into? Pour the water into a pot and boil the water, keeping kids at a safe distance to avoid burns. Watch as the water vaporizes into steam. Put a cover on the pot and turn off the heat. After a few minutes, show your child the water droplets on the inside of the lid. The steam turned back into water as it cooled. Pour the remaining water in the pot into a bowl and leave it for a few days. What happens?
For more exploring, play Dora's Great Big World game, find do-together Dora crafts, recipes, and activities, and print a personalized Explorer Kit for your child at DoraTheExplorer.com.
BACK: Dora's Bead Store Expedition / NEXT: Dora's Rainbow Hunt Expedition
Submit!
