Last week, I shared a simple homemade ice cream recipe and asked for your favorite flavors. I also teased we'd have something more in-depth and here we are. For the full activity, along with variations by age go to the Curious Kitchen Lab in the classroom and select #Ice Cream Magic Ice alone is cold, but ice mixed with salt becomes even colder. That extra drop in temperature is enough to turn a sweet liquid into creamy homemade ice cream. Gather Your Gear: Ice Cream Mixture - 120 mL (½ cup) milk, half-and-half, or a combination - 15 mL (1 tablespoon) sugar - 1.25 mL (¼ teaspoon) vanilla extract Freezing Mixture - About 700 g (3 cups) ice - 75 g (⅓ cup) table salt or coarse salt Supplies - 1 small zip-top bag - 1 large zip-top bag - Kitchen towel or oven mitts - Measuring cups and spoons - Bowls and spoons - My Science Notebook (optional) Optional toppings - Cooled caramel from From Sugar to Caramel - Sugar crystals from Crystal Makers, if prepared using food-safe materials Be sure to wash your hands thoroughly before handling food. Check both bags carefully for holes before beginning. Steps 1. Combine the milk, sugar, and vanilla in the small zip-top bag. Press out excess air and seal tightly. 2. Fill the large zip-top bag with the ice and sprinkle the salt evenly over it. 3. Place the sealed small bag inside the large bag and seal the large bag tightly. 4. Wrap the bag in a towel or use oven mitts. The outside will become very cold. 5. Shake, roll, and gently turn the bag for 5 to 10 minutes. 6. Check the ice cream. Continue shaking until it becomes thick and creamy. 7. Remove the small bag and wipe away any salty water before opening it. 8. Scoop the ice cream into bowls. Add optional toppings if desired. 9. Watch how your ice cream changes as it begins to warm.

Welcome to Connected Through Play! We're so glad you're here! This community just got a whole lot brighter with all of you joining us. I've been a bit remiss in welcoming our new members and wow wait until you see who has joined us. Pull up a chair, explore the classrooms and Play Prompts and ideas and let us know how we can help you have more play in your day. @Jasmine Foster is searching for fresh ideas to keep her curious 15-month-old engaged and exploring the world around them. @Isabell Hie has an 18-month-old daughter she's excited to nurture as fully as she can. @Andrea Nichol is a primary teacher and mum of three looking for creative ways to connect with her neurospicy kids. @Erika Clough is navigating a high-conflict divorce and wants to open a line of connection with her 5-year-old daughter, especially through crafts. @Ágnes Molnár has a 3.5-year-old boy and a 2-month-old girl and is excited to dive into play with both of them. @Sophie Oborne is a mum of three (ages 6, 3, and 5 months) working to help her older two play better together, check out her Skool community Wonderers Club. @Bianca Evans has five children with a 2-year-old at home and knows how critical these early years are. @Kenney Purchase is here for his nephew and his own inner child, see his Skool community Imagination Station. @Andrea Neel has a beautiful niece and is always looking for ideas to challenge her mind. @Samantha Davenport has kids aged 14 and 8 and wants to encourage more play at home. @Michelle Lightly has a 5-year-old daughter and is looking for creative, nature-based ways to play with less screen time — @Samantha Davenport, @Michelle Lightly, and @Sarah Cooper (who's working to reduce her 10-year-old son's screen time after dealing with chronic health issues) could all share strategies on reclaiming play from devices. @Sarah Cooper runs The Essential Oil Circle — definitely worth checking out.

The lineup for the Unplug & Play Summit keeps getting better as we finalize our speakers. Today, I’d like to introduce you to one of our long-time community members @Brenda Chilstrom if her introduction resonates or if you have questions don’t hesitate to leave a comment below. I come from a family of educators, so I was always drawn to being with children and interested in how they learn and develop. I also loved both science and art, and when I discovered occupational therapy, it felt like the perfect combination of the two. It gave me a way to understand the science of child development, the nervous system, sensory processing, and movement, while still using creativity, play, and connection. Over the years, I’ve worked with young children and families in many different environments, and one thing has always been true: when we slow down, become curious, and really engage with children through play, we begin to see what is happening beneath the surface. We get to see more of the true child—not just the behavior or the struggle—and the child feels seen, safe, and understood. That is a big part of what led me to create Raising Curious Eaters. Even though the name focuses on eating, the community is not only for families of children with feeding difficulties. So many feeding challenges are connected to sensory processing, emotional regulation, anxiety, rigidity, body awareness, and a child’s sense of safety. The community is really about helping parents make sense of those connections and move away from pressure and power struggles toward more curiosity, confidence, and connection. That also ties closely into my session, The Missing Piece of Emotional Regulation, because regulation is not simply about teaching children to calm down or manage their behavior. It develops through connection, co-regulation, and feeling understood by the adults around them.

Does anyone else remember this saying? Either way, here in Tennessee it’s another hot and humid summer day and another reason for ice cream. This week’s Curious Kitchen Lab will focus on sweet science. The first activity goes live tomorrow. Today, a sneak peek in honor of Ice Cream Day. Answer our flavor poll and then let us know if you make your own ice cream. What’s your favorite ice cream flavor?

Hi all I am Nanny Sue for 4 amazing kiddos with another on the way. I absolutely love the Mystery Bag game. I teach psychic development for adults and this would be a great psychometry exercise too! I'm so excited to be here. I'm sure Asher, James, Mary and maybe even Jackson (15) will be too!