Kathryn, from Swindon, sent in this great STEM activity. Let’s take a look at it…
What did you do?
This STEM activity covers two areas of science and is pretty easy to set up.
I made an ice cream cone out of cardboard and covered it in sticky back plastic to protect it from the water (a science lesson in itself if you want it to be!!)
I then cut out lots of circles of kitchen paper and coloured tissue paper for the balls of ice cream. I put the tissue paper down first then layered 2 circles of kitchen paper over the top so the whole ice cream looked like vanilla.
I filled a bottle with water which was the ‘magic sauce’. When the water drops on the kitchen paper, the ice cream changes colour for a new flavour. This is because the light is refracted and reflected differently when water goes between the fibres of the paper and it looks translucent. Also the tissue paper leaks it’s dye and the capillary action of the kitchen paper absorbs it.
Depending on the thickness of your kitchen paper, you may need one or two layers to cover the tissue paper.
![](https://www.houseboundwithkids.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/07/80EAAA1C-51DF-439E-BB02-E7E06C62608D-scaled.jpeg)
Do you have any other projects planned?
I have a list with about 15 new ideas on! I add to it when I’m laying in bed and a new idea forms.
Tell the Housebound With Kids community a bit about yourself…
I’m Kathryn and I live in Wiltshire. I’m an Early Years and KS1 teacher currently doing supply work so I can spend more time with my own children. I have Josh who is 9 and really into gaming and I have Annie who is 4 and about to start school. I like to try and create activities that meet their very different needs so they can have fun together.
@treasuretrays
How are you finding being housebound so far?
Being house bound has been challenging in so far as all the days blur together and it’s very repetitive. My eldest really misses school and is being drawn to the digital world even more. My youngest is having lots of fun but she misses seeing her friends.
![](https://www.houseboundwithkids.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/07/8DE748D8-AFE5-4C48-9618-A563AFEE8F68-scaled.jpeg)
Do you have any tips for other parents?
Don’t feel guilty about screen time. This was a big one for me to overcome but I found some educational programmes that the children enjoy and so I feel that at least they are learning something.
Be flexible. I have a rough idea about what I want to achieve in a day but I’m not rigid and like to make the most of the weather so we work around that.
Has this website and community helped you?
I love seeing how other people approach things. There is no right or wrong way to spend time with your children and I like to see ideas that spark my creativity.