This Friday I’m chatting science! During lockdown many kids struggled with learning subjects at home. One of the greatest events we discovered was watching the Royal Society perform experiments that could be created at home. It transformed my eldest view on science and he started to understand theories a lot more. With the heat this summer we thought we’d share one of our favourite ones. This is suitable for all ages and covers GCSE knowledge too so a perfect for the whole family.

The concept is:

Energy, primarily in the form of heat, can transform matter from one state to another (solid, liquid, or gas) by altering the kinetic energy of its particles. Adding energy (heating) increases particle movement, potentially overcoming intermolecular forces and causing a phase change. Conversely, removing energy (cooling) decreases particle movement, Allowing forces to pull particles closer, resulting in a phase change to a more condensed state.

How to make the understanding fun…

**What you’ll need:**

• 1 carton of single cream
• Sandwich bags – large and small
• 2 tablespoons of sugar
• ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
• A lot of ice (we smashed up ice cubes with a rolling pin)
• 90g of salt
• Your choice of toppings

**Instructions:**

1. Combine the single cream, sugar, and vanilla extract in a small sandwich bag.

2. Carefully remove any excess air from the small bag and seal it tightly.

3. In a larger sandwich bag, add the ice and kosher salt.

4. Place the sealed small bag inside the larger bag.

5. Now comes the fun part (and the science bit!) Ask your child to shake the bag vigorously for about 10 minutes. As you shake, the energy generated will cause the ice cream mixture in the small bag to solidify.

6. Once the ice cream has hardened, remove the contents from the smaller bag.

7. Add your favourite toppings and enjoy your homemade treat!