Module 1: Scoop

Have you ever wondered how ice cream gets from cream to cone? Why it’s soft and smooth and not hard and icy?

You can’t just mix up ingredients and hope for the best. In fact, the secret ingredient to your favourite scoop, is food science!

Let’s chill!

Over the course of the challenge, you’ll discover what it takes to craft the ultimate ice cream. Using science, technology, engineering and maths (STEM), your role is to find a sweet solution to our challenge pātai (question):

I wonder what makes ice cream yum?

Meet your support crew

It takes a whole rōpū (team) to make ice cream yum. Your Wonder Project Ambassador and kaiako (teacher) are here to help you through each module of the challenge.

Say kia ora to your ambassador and whakarongo (listen) to their incredible STEM story.

Form your ice cream team!

Your first job is to get into a rōpū (team) of 3–6 classmates. A good rōpū is made up of heaps of different STEM experts who work together to plan, create and improve ice cream for people to enjoy.

Unpack your ice cream kit

The Wonder Project has hooked you up with an ice cream kit to get you started on your journey.

You’ll also need access to a fridge and freezer. And, to collect a few more things to help along the way:

• Ice cubes
• Electric beater
• Tray
• Tea towels or gloves

To find a solution to the challenge pātai, you’re going to follow the scientific inquiry process. It’s a series of simple steps that scientists use to discover how things work and solve problems.

Ask

Scientists start their experiments by asking lots of pātai. They pick something they’re curious about, then think about how to use science to understand it better.

When making ice cream, STEM superstars strive for three goals. They are:

But how can you achieve these goals?

If you just put plain cream into the freezer, it would be cream, and it would be icy, but it wouldn’t be ice cream. And that’s because it’s missing the five factors that make ice cream yum. Let’s take a closer look.

The science of the scoop

These factors are the ice cream dream team. When they come together, they help STEM superstars create ice cream that meets their three goals – creamy, scoopable and yum!

We Kiwis love our ice cream. In fact, we eat more ice cream than almost anyone in the world (per capita). Why do you think that is?

It’s because we have some incredible ice cream innovators and ingredients, right on our doorstep.

Aotearoa ice cream innovation

The most important ingredient in ice cream, is cream. And whether it’s dairy or plant-based, it needs to be high-quality, to make a high-quality ice cream.

Lucky for us, New Zealand cows make some of the best milk for creamy ice cream.

Now we know what goes into a yummy ice cream. But if you created a perfect mixture in a dirty bowl, it could turn your tasty treat into a mouldy mess. Enter, microorganisms.

Microorganisms are things like bacteria, yeast, mould or viruses. Food microbiology is the study of microorganisms in food.

Sometimes microorganisms can be helpful, like the yeast in your bread or the bacteria in your cheese. But some microorganisms are not as friendly and can make us sick.

Food safety

That’s why food safety should be your number one priority in the Ice Cream Challenge!

Put up the food safety poster and have a class kōrero about how to stay food safe.

Mīharo. Today you:

• Met your ambassador
• Unpacked your ice cream kit
• Learned the scientific inquiry process
• Discovered the science behind ice cream
• Discussed ice cream ingredients
• Learned about microbiology and food safety