Hot Chocolate and Ice Cream

We typically have healthy snacks in our kindergarten classes, but we allow for the occasional treat. Last week we made and ate ice cream and hot chocolate for a delightful hot and cold snack!

We make hot chocolate by pouring chocolate milk in a crock pot and warming it up. Serve with marshmallows! You might want to have some warm cider available for any children unable to have dairy.

We made ice cream in a bag by following this recipe:

In a quart double zip baggie place and seal well 2 T sugar, 1 t vanilla, 2 T evaporated milk, and 1 .cup milk (use almond or coconut milk for any students unable to eat dairy)
In a gallon freezer double zip baggie place 4 cups of ice and about 1/4 cup rock salt. Place the quart baggie with ingredients in it inside the gallon baggie. Zip it up well
Have groups of children shake and pass the baggies - they might want to wear their mittens! Shake and pass until the milk mixture turns to ice cream.
One baggie is enough for about 3 children. We usually make a couple extra baggies worth just in case some of the salt mixture seeps into the inside baggie.

As we make and eat, we talk about the ingredients that went into making ice cream. We talk about our "observations" of the process. Freezing of the ice cream and melting of the ice cubes and marshmallows are usually top observations.

Then, children wrote about the process in their journals.

Later, for math, we used a great idea from Mrs. Wood's Kindergarten Class Blog for hot chocolate addition. Students made a cut out picture of 2 mugs of hot chocolate and place 5 or less marshmallows in each mug. Then, they write an addition sentence about how many marshmallows they have in both mugs together:)