Ice Cream Parlor

First Post... here goes!!

Writing a blog seems completely overwhelming, but I would like a place to record and share all of the fun that we have playing and learning in my preschool classroom.  

The dramatic play center is probably my students' favorite center.  We change the theme each month or so, and there is so much learning that takes place there each day.  The center has been set up as a restaurant for the last couple of weeks.  We invited our preschoolers' families to stop in and dine with us, and the students got such a kick out of having "real" customers.  

This week, I am putting a little spin on the restaurant center.  It has been transformed into the Frosty Queen Ice Cream Parlor.  

 We re-purposed the puppet theater and made it into the ice cream counter.  The little sign at the bottom is reversible and says "Closed" on the other side.

 Today's menu board!  The flavors are printed on card stock, and can be switched around on this little pocket chart.

 The Ice Cream!  A quick look on Pinterest and TpT gave me a couple of ideas for the ice cream.  Some people recommended using giant pom poms, other preferred cotton balls soaked in fabric dye.  There were teachers who printed pictures of ice cream, and others who used felt pieces.  When I create lessons and activities for my preschoolers, it's important to me that we get the most "bang for our buck."  That's why our ice cream is play dough.  Its texture and smell resemble ice cream, and as an added bonus the children will practice their motor skills while scooping it.

The three flavors that we are starting with are lemon (Kool-Aid packet), orange (pumpkin pie spice) and chocolate (unsweetened cocoa powder)-- yum!!

Plastic Ice Cream Dishes

I found these adorable little bowls and matching spoons on Amazon.  They were 12 for $12, which is more than my normal yard sale/Dollar store budget, but we will be able to use them every year.

Behind the ordering counter, I stocked the shelf with Ice Cream Order forms, pencils, and crayons.  Preschoolers are emergent readers, so coloring the flavor with a matching crayon works much, much better than trying to copy down the name of the flavor.

We also have a toppings counter, with red pom poms for the cherries on top, and salt shakers filled with colored rice (food coloring in rubbing alcohol then mixed with rice) for "sprinkles".  The rice makes a nice sprinkle sound, but doesn't actually come out of the salt shaker, so no mess.

We decorated the 3 tables at our restaurant with table cloths and silk flowers.  This definitely adds to the excitement of the center!  

All of the signs and forms and photos of the Ice Cream Parlor are available on TpT. 

I'd love to hear from other teachers and parents who have set up their own Ice Cream shops!  Enjoy playing and learning with your child today.