I

We started “I” day by calling pet stores to see if they had any Iguanas we could visit/learn about. I wasn’t able to find anything in town so I turned on the computer and we did a search on-line. We were able to see a ton of really neat pictures of Iguanas as well as learn a lot of interesting information. We learned that Iguanas are native to Central and South America and the Caribbean; they have a row of spines on their backs down to their tails and that they have a third “eye” on their heads; they have excellent vision, hearing, and smell; they have long fingers and claws for climbing; that if a predator cuts off their tail another one will grow back; they prefer to be up high and live near water; and they have an extra skin that they puff up to make themselves look bigger as well as to impress females.

This was Caleb's favorite picture.

The kids and I decided we wanted to make ice cream and we had all of the ingredients except the ice for the ice cream machine. So, we all jumped in the car and drove to the ice house to get some ice. On the car ride over we played I Spy. Karin also started telling a story… that went on and on and on. It was very cute but after about 5 minutes Caleb said, “Karin, are you using your imagination? Hey Mom, did you know imagination starts with an I?” Love it!!

I had never been to the ice house before and always wanted to check it out. Today was the perfect day to go. I did throw the cooler in the car at the last minute and I’m glad I did. At the ice house, Karin put the money in the slot and we listened for the ice to drop. Once it dropped, Caleb pulled the lever and the ice dropped into the cooler. The kids and I just laughed. There was a tractor trailed truck parked next to where we were getting our ice. When the driver returned to his truck he must have thought we were a bit nuts… we were having so much fun getting ice. Caleb asked to do it again so Karin put some more money in the machine and Caleb pulled the lever.

When we got home we made the base for the ice cream. We decided on a vanilla base that we would add strawberries and chocolate chips to before we put it in the freezer. Caleb and Karin helped me mix all of the ingredients and put it in the ice cream maker. We plugged it in outside, loaded the bucket of the ice cream maker with salt, ice, and water, and turned it on. After an hour the ice cream was ready. We mixed in the strawberries and chocolate chips and put it in the freezer for dessert. Of course, we did have a taste before we put it in the freezer.

We also decided to make a second ice cream and do a taste test to see which way we preferred. For this batch Caleb put ice and salt in a zip-lock bag while Karin mixed milk, sugar, and vanilla in a smaller bag. We put the sealed, smaller bag in the larger bag, sealed the larger bag and set the timer for 5 minutes. We took turns shaking the bag until the timer went off. After 5 minutes we had ice cream. We also put this ice cream in the freezer for dessert.

After we filled the ice cream maker with ice we still had some ice left over so we decided to make Icees. We filled cups with scoops of ice and added some syrup we had in the cupboard. We made Blueberry Lemonade Icees. It was quite refreshing on such a hot day.

In preparing for “I” day I made rectangular shaped ice cubes for a few days before. I got them out of the freezer and let the kids play with them outside on the patio. I asked them each to build their own igloo. They came up with some great designs. They built their igloos and took them apart several times until the ice melted. I think they forgot how hot it was outside since they were playing with ice.

When we came inside we played a game that Caleb got for his birthday… I Spy 3-D. we also read our “I” books: If You Give a Pig a Party, If You Give a Moose a Muffin, and I’m Not Going Out There.

And here is our sign for the day…

Oh yeah, we did have our ice cream taste test. Both were good. The ice cream from the ice cream maker was smoother while the one in the bag was grainier. The ice cream from the ice cream maker had a creamier taste than the one in the bag. Either way, the ice cream was enjoyed by everyone.