It was the perfect day to enjoy a cool treat, and kids in Ishpeming had a chance to make their own.

The Ishpeming Carnegie Library hosted the event Friday afternoon for kids to make their own ice cream in about eight minutes, using minimal ingredients.

“What we do is we take a plastic bag and fill it with ice and rock salt. Rock salt lowers the temperature of the ice more than it normally would to help freeze the mixture more quickly,” Ishpeming Carnegie Library director Jessica Shirtz said. “In a smaller bag in the inside we mix half-and-half, sugar, and vanilla. We put the little bag in the big one and shake it for about five minutes and it makes some pretty good tasting vanilla ice cream.”

The event was part of the library’s summer reading program Fizz, Boom, Read.  The program aims to connect reading to science.

“It’s a pretty simple recipe but there are still some chemical reactions going on so it’s a great opportunity to talk about the science involved in making ice cream,” Shirtz said.

“In the summer we especially like to reach out to kids who don’t usually come to the library and by hosting events that aren’t specifically book-related, we’re able to bring them into the library and introduce them to a fun environment.”

After making ice cream, kids were able to eat the sweet dessert they made.

Recipe to make vanilla ice cream

Put the following in one large resealable plastic bag:

  • 3 tablespoons rock salt
  • Fill 1/4 of the bag with ice

Put the following in a small resealable plastic bag:

  • 1/4 cup half-and-half
  • 1/2 tablespoon sugar
  • 1/8 teaspoon vanilla

Make sure the small bag is sealed, and place inside the large plastic bag.  Seal the large plastic bag and shake for about 5-6 minutes.  Rinse off the small plastic bag and enjoy!

A list of other kid-friendly events at the Ishpeming Carnegie Library can be found on its website or Facebook page.