Freezing Kids with Liquid Nitrogen?

Liquid Nitrogen Ice Cream

Ooops… that should have read… Freezing an Unforgettable Science Experience in the Minds of Young Children (but the first one is so much more catchy…)

I spend a lot of time training early childhood teachers in ways to make science more fun and meaningful in their classrooms. Gone are the days of collecting leaves in a plastic baggie and calling it science. Today, the best early childhood professionals are pulling out the stops and do everything possible to expose their children to real science. Of course, with real science comes real fun. Nan Papiernik and Beth Dovenspike from Colorado College Children’s Center are both amazing early childhood science teachers who are reaching out to the community and finding real science experience for their children. Nan and Beth called upon Professor Kristina Lang from Colorado College to introduce children to the concept of changing temperature to make things freeze. What could be better than using liquid nitrogen to make ice cream?

The genius part of this strategy is…

Liquid Nitrogen Ice CreamIt just didn’t make sense for Nan or Beth to spend their budget on purchasing a Dewar to store the liquid nitrogen, to purchase the special mixing containers or the proper safety equipment. Instead, they called upon an expert in their community who had all of the equipment and who was properly trained to help them create the experience for the children. Don’t miss the point… the early childhood professionals called upon a professional science educator to create an experience for the students. This is exactly how professionals in the business world do it… why shouldn’t we, as educators, do the same thing?

Thanks to Nan Papiernik, Beth Dovenspike and Kristina Lang for sharing a great teaching nugget.

Recipe for Liquid Nitrogen Ice Cream

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