# Pretend Ice Cream Play
> Mix cornstarch, food color and unflavored gelatin water, then chill for 2 hours to make scoopable pretend ice cream. Set it up as an ice cream stand or let kids squish it into 'milkshake'.
- URL: https://www.funlittles.com/sensory-activities-kids-pretend-ice-cream-play/
- Ages: 2–6 yrs · Difficulty: easy · Mess: high
- Time: prep 2 hr 20 min, activity 30 min
- Works for: one-on-one, small group, whole class · one batch serves about 2 kids
- Skills: sensory-exploration, pretend-play, fine-motor, texture-comparison, language
- Cautions: corn, food-dye, ingestion-risk, wheat-gluten

## Materials (one batch)
- 0.75 cup Cornstarch
- 1 packet Unflavored gelatin
- 0.75 cup Water (household)
- Food coloring
- 1 piece Fridge-safe bowl (household)
- 1 piece Spoon for mixing (household)
- 1 piece Plastic tray (optional) (household)
- 1 piece Ice cream scoop (optional)
- Cups and spoons (optional) (household)
- Sprinkles (optional)
- Flour (for pretend chocolate syrup) (optional)

## Substitutions
- Instead of food color: Cocoa powder (The author suggests it, instead of brown food color, to color the pretend chocolate syrup.)

## Safety
- Not food: this looks very much like real ice cream, so tell kids clearly that it is for play, not eating. Supervise at all times.
- If you use warm or hot water to dissolve the gelatin, an adult handles it and lets the mixture cool before kids touch it.
- Spilled cornstarch goop makes floors slippery. Wipe up spills right away.
- Food color can stain hands, clothes and surfaces.
- Sprinkles are real food and are small. Supervise toddlers closely.

## Before you start
- Make the pretend ice cream at least 2 hours before play time so it can chill in the fridge.
- Make one batch per flavor or color.

## Steps
1. Put 3/4 cup of cornstarch in a bowl and add a few drops of food color.
2. When the cornstarch is ready, dissolve 1 packet of unflavored gelatin in 3/4 cup of water.
3. Quickly pour the gelatin water into the cornstarch and start mixing before the gelatin begins to set.
4. Mix until there are no lumps. Add a little more cornstarch if you want it thicker.
5. Chill in the fridge for 2 hours, checking the texture now and then.
6. Set out ice cream scoops, cups and spoons and scoop up the ice cream.
7. Make sundaes and decorate them with sprinkles.
8. Dip your hands in and squish it into a 'chocolate milkshake'.

## Tips
- Add water to the gelatin only when your cornstarch is ready. You don't want the gelatin to start setting.
- The strawberry one was thicker and stayed solid a bit longer than the chocolate one, which was runnier.
- Check it in the fridge every now and then and stop when you like the texture. Personal preference!
- Because it has gelatin, it doesn't 'melt' as fast as regular oobleck.
- After playing for a while, the goop turns into a creamy mixture. The thicker strawberry one got a bit flaky and was just as fun.
- I set it up as pretend play for my older child, but both kids made it a sensory activity. Chocolate ice cream became chocolate milkshake. Kudos for play based learning!
- I made another batch after playtime just to test the recipe, and it turned out great as well.

## The original post by TurkeyMom (2013)

This post is inspired by the fabulous [**chilly goo**](http://www.funathomewithkids.com/2013/05/chilly-ice-cream-goo.html) post on [**Fun at home with Kids.**](http://funathomewithkids.com) After seeing that I was pretty sure my littles would LOVE to play with chilly goo. One small twist was I took my older child into consideration and created a more of a pretend play set up than a sensory activity. Ironically both the kids made this one into a sensory activity. **Our take on chilly goo** I combined cornstarch with unflavored, colored gelatin water. ( Add food color to gelatin water)
 and got an almost runny goop.  I increased the corn starch a bit and made a little thicker mixture.  Now for the fun part. I **chilled them in the refrigerator** for 2 hours hoping that the gelatin would help the cornstarch settle faster. This is what we got - strawberry and chocolate pretend ice cream. Don't they look realistic?  What we really loved about this pretend ice cream is that we were able to scoop it up .  You can see the difference in the textures. The strawberry one is thicker and will remain solid for bit longer than the chocolate one.



The kids loved dipping their hands in there and making what they called "chocolate milkshake". Mom - chocolate ice cream became chocolate milkshake. I love that comparison. **Kudos for play based learning.**



After playing for a while, the goop somewhat turns into a creamy mixture.



The strawberry pretend ice cream was a bit flaky and just as fun.



I made another batch after playtime just to test the recipe and it turned out great as well.



**Suggestions for Play**

This time the kids were all about messy and sensory play. However **you** could do the following

Set out ice cream scoops, cups and spoons

Add Sprinkles

Make pretend chocolate syrup with flour and brown food color or cocoa powder.

Then you will have created a fun invitation to play ice cream stand!

**Kids can make sundaes with different flavors and decorate them or they can be like my kids and completely mess around with the pretend ice cream goo.**

**Recipe for Play Ice Cream**

You will get the same texture as the chocolate one.

- 3/4 cup of cornstarch ( cornflour in the UK, Australia, Canada and New Zealand)
- 1 packet of unflavored gelatin
- 3/4 cup of water

Dissolve 1 packet of unflavored gelatin in 3/4 cup of water

Add a few drops of food color in 3/4 cup of cornstarch. Quickly add the gelatin water to cornstarch and start mixing. You don't want the gelatin to start setting, So add water to the gelatin only when you are ready with your cornstarch.

Mix them up and make sure there aren't any lumps.

Chill in the fridge for 2 hours. You can check every now and then and see if you like the texture of the ice cream. Personal preference!

Since the pretend ice cream has gelatin it doesn't "melt" as fast as regular [**oobleck**](https://www.funlittles.com/quick-play-idea-with-colorful-oobleck/).

Hope you and your kids have fun with this ice cream play idea.

I don't want to leave you without sharing some of the most awesome cornstarch recipes and play ice cream posts.

**Visit this link for many [cornstarch play](https://www.funlittles.com/tag/cornstarch/) posts on Blog Me Mom**

Don't forget our sudsy goop