[July 15, 2013]Friday afternoon, kids at the
Lincoln Park District took their kitchen outdoors and made some
remarkable vanilla ice cream from scratch.
This is just one of the great activities going on at the park
district on weekday afternoons this summer as part of their Awesome
Afternoon Adventures program.
Kids are invited to the park
district Monday through Friday from 1 to 4 p.m. to participate in
activities that are fun and educational.
According to Roy Logan, event coordinator for the park district,
the idea of having Afternoon Adventures was born from necessity last
year. With the district swimming pool being closed due to ill
repair, the center needed to come up with something fun for kids to
do that summer.
Logan said he made a phone call to Christina Larson, and Awesome
Afternoons was soon well underway.
Christina has been a summertime fixture at the park district for
a number of years. Now 20 and headed into her final year of college,
she returns in the summers to help out, and Logan said when he
called her last year, she was happy to come and be a part of the
fun.
Logan said Christina started at the age of 14 "in the box." The
box was the place where admissions to the pool area were taken in
the summer. She went on to become a certified lifeguard and became a
part of the pool's regular staff.
"She's great with kids," Logan said, "and all the activities for
Awesome Afternoons are her doing."
Friday afternoon was a stay-at-the-Rec day for the group. Larson
and helper Nate Wake spent the early part of the afternoon with the
kids outside, playing lawn games and taking in the playground area.
The last hour before time to go home, they learned how to make ice
cream from scratch, using a very simple method and a few
ingredients.
First, each kid received two heavy-duty sealable plastic bags,
one in quart size and the other in gallon size.
They were shown how to measure ingredients and then placed 1
tablespoon of sugar, 1/4 teaspoon of vanilla and 1/2 cup of
half-and-half in their small bags. They sealed the bags, removing
all the air, then squished them around to mix all their ingredients.
The next step was to place a bunch of ice in their larger bag,
about half full. Larson told the kids what to do, then added a
generous amount of salt on top of the ice.
The smaller bag then went into the larger one, and it was time to
shake things up. The kids may have had more fun mixing the ice cream
than eating it. Each one had their own "technique" for getting the
job done. Some worked in pairs and played toss and catch with their
makeshift ice cream makers.
In the end, though, the project was a success, as in just a few
minutes each one of them was ready to scoop the ice cream into a
bowl. Larson had made chocolate brownies beforehand, and there was
fudge sauce to put on the ice cream.
The kids all fixed their ice cream to their liking, then sat
outside under the trees to enjoy the fruits of their labors.
When asked if they would be able to remember the recipe and share
this activity with their families, many said that they would. A few
demonstrated how easy this was by rattling off the ingredients and
instructions for making ice cream.
Larson said that each day the kids do things that are fun, give
them some exercise and teach them a little something along the way.
On Tuesday and Thursday afternoons, they go to Lincoln College
and make use of the swimming pool there. On other days they play
games, do creative projects and just have great fun together.
In the past, the group has also taken short field trips, and
Larson said she is hoping there is one more before the summer ends.
She said she still has plans to get the kids into the Lincoln fire
station for a tour.
While this has been a temporary fix for a pool-less summer, the
kids all said they were enjoying the time they had at the park
district and look forward to coming each day.
In regard to the pool, by next summer, swimming will more than
likely be available once again at the Lincoln Park District.
Director Marcia Greenslate recently said the park board is getting
ready to go out for bids on the new facility, and she is hopeful
that within the next few weeks they will have a contractor selected.
