How to Make Homemade Ice Cream Using Science

SciShow Kids

In this engaging episode of SciShow Kids, host Jessi and her robot mouse friend Squeaks demonstrate how to make homemade ice cream using basic kitchen ingredients and the power of chemistry. The video guides viewers through a hands-on experiment that transforms liquid cream into solid ice cream without using a freezer, relying instead on a chemical reaction between ice and salt. The content focuses heavily on the scientific concepts of states of matter and freezing point depression. It explains in accessible terms why salt is added to ice (similar to salting icy roads in winter) and how this process lowers the freezing temperature of water. The video uses clear animations to visualize how melting ice draws heat away from the cream mixture, allowing it to freeze rapidly. This video is an excellent resource for elementary science classrooms as it combines a fun, edible reward with rigorous scientific inquiry. It provides a perfect practical application for lessons on phase changes, temperature, and following procedural texts. Teachers can use this video to introduce thermodynamics or simply as a guide for a beloved classroom activity that reinforces measuring skills and observation.