Meg, from Ontario, Canada, sent in this great frozen oobleck ice cream parlor idea. Let’s take a look at it…
What did you do?
We experimented with OOBLECK in a new way…frozen! Mr. 4.5 and Miss 3 loved every second of their ‘ice cream parlor’ experience!
All we did to set this up is:
Coloured some OOBLECK (2 cups cornstarch and 1 cup water (add colouring to water first, if desired) to make different ice cream flavours (we kept one batch plain to make ‘vanilla chocolate chip’ (a.k.a. black beans), another was ‘strawberry’ and the third was dyed green to make ‘mint’).
Placed the OOBLECK in the freezer for a few hours. Overnight would be fine too! I do recommend you take the OOBLECK out of the freezer at least 30 mins before play (unless you separate it into smaller quantities the quantities).
Added a bunch of our sensory materials to little bowls for ‘toppings’ (e.g., coloured rice, purple dyed chickpeas) and some DIY cardboard cones. (I also made some ‘ice cream pops’ with an ice cube tray.)
I really liked that both of my littles could enjoy this activity! They both loved the mixture of textures of the frozen OOBLECK, some melted OOBLECK and the different toppings.
There are also so many learning opportunities in this play! Lots of ice cream parlor conversations, practising scooping and transferring and strengthening hand muscles to promote early writing success!
Do you have any other projects planned?
We are going to craft some little crocodiles using cardboard and yarn!
Tell the Housebound With Kids community a bit about yourself…
I’m Meg from Canada! I have three littles (4.5, 3 and 17 months old), with baby #4 arriving in October.
@intentionalplayeveryday
Do you have any tips for other parents?
I think just to have a bit of a daily plan is great! Plan to get outside with your little sat least once a day (e.g., go on a hike, a bike ride, a walk or to the park). Think about putting together a little craft or activity for your children. They’ll love the chance to be creative!
What are your family’s favourite board game(s)/card game(s)?
We love co-operative games right now! Miss 3 loved ‘Count your Chickens’. Peaceable Kingdom make lovely, simple co-operative games for littles!
What are your children’s favourite books?
I couldn’t choose! We looove all books! Miss 17 months loves the sensory books! Mr. 4.5 loved when I read chapter books to him at bedtime and Miss 3 enjoys fairytales!
What toys would you recommend to other parents?
We love open ended toys! Toys that can be used in multiple different ways for pretend play! (There are a lot of fantastic wooden toys that slope for this!) A basket of loose parts can be hours of fun!
Has this website and community helped you?
Such a lovely way to connect with other families around the world and to get inspiration for setting up some ‘intentional play’ for your littles!
