Coffee Creamer Science

Lizzy retired from a 30+ year teaching career as the Queen of Science. Actually, she was the science exploration teacher for 600 elementary school children. . . weekly. 

 Exciting Discoveries

In this role, school days were filled with exciting discoveries for everyone, including me. She used the Collaborative Inquiry Model of learning (Bruce Wellman, Laura Lipton).This approach changes the classroom from a place where the teacher is responsible for knowledge delivery to one in which everyone collaboratively constructs knowledge. 

Each lesson included activities designed to engage and activate student thinking. The students applied new skills to develop their thoughts and curiosities and grow a greater understanding of our world. Students needed to lose the fear of getting the wrong answer, and begin thinking like scientists and engineers. Then, they needed to be comfortable with making inferences that may be incorrect, engaging in experimentation leading to revised inferences, and  new understanding. 

The goal was to grow future aerospace engineers, plastic engineers, mineralogists and entomologists, etc.  

“On the glorious splendor of your majesty, and on your wondrous works, I will meditate.”

Psalm 145:5 ESV

Wondrous Works

Even liquid coffee creamer can be a source of splendor, used to activate and engage thinking. Your children and grandchildren will love this ice cream making experiment. You start by explaining the three states of matter. Using water as an example, describe how by adding or removing heat the water changes states. Then describe how that adding salt lowers the freezing temperature of water.

With this new knowledge, it is time to make ice cream.

1. Pour 1 cup of flavored coffee creamer into a sandwich size bag and seal it. Make sure to remove as much air as possible from the bag.
2. Fill a gallon sized Ziploc bag about 1/2 full with ice. Pour about 1/2 cup salt on top.
3. Place the small bag inside the ice bag and shake for 3-4 minutes. After shaking is done, remove the creamer bag from the large ice bag and rinse quickly to get all the salt off.
4. Open creamer bag and pour ice cream into a bowl.

Queen of Science

Because the Queen of Science had to do this experience with 600 students, we learned that even single-serving containers of  coffee creamer worked. But, this did get her into trouble with the local convenience store. The students wanted to try it at home, so they were stealing all of the coffee creamers from the convenience store. When Lizzy visited the store, the manager was waiting, “So, you are the one responsible.” She had to admit, “Yes, indeed, I am the one.”

Copyright © 2023 Chuck Locklear

Also, see Science Can Be Fun.