Ice Cream Man

How Augustus Jackson Made a Sweet Treat Better

By Glenda Armand and Kim Freeman

Informational Resources:

Author Information:

Glenda Armand’s Website:

https://glenda-armand.com/

Kim Freeman’s Website:

https://kimfreeman.us/

Illustrator Information:

Keith Mallett’s Website:

https://www.keithmallett.com/

Activities & Resources:

Activities:

Ice Cream:

How Ice Cream is Made (2:11):

How is Ice Cream Made? | Ever Wonder? | Highlights Kids

After watching the video, children put these cards in the correct order based on the video information.

https://cdn.agclassroom.org/media/uploads/LP830/From_Farm_to_Freezer_(1).pdf

Ice Cream Engineering (11:31):

https://youtu.be/TkWctm16o0g?si=WleUwByU8ytTUuf1

Homemade Ice Cream without a machine (3:55):

https://youtu.be/_Zt1EuIEhvw

Make Ice Cream in a bag:

http://kteachertiff.com/2017/05/make-ice-cream-bag.html

How to Make Ice Cream in a Bag. Picture directions for kids:

https://www.classroomfreebies.com/2012/04/make-baggie-ice-cream-with-your_22.html

There is also a recipe in the back of Ice Cream Man: How Augustus Jackson Made a Sweet Treat Better.

Hand each child a sticky note and ask them to write their favorite flavor of ice cream.  Have them stick their notes on the whiteboard to create a bar graph of their favorite ice cream flavors. To make it more complicated, give them three sticky notes and have them write down their top 3 ice cream flavors. Ask them questions based on the bar graph. Which flavor do students like most/least? 

Science:

Why did adding salt to the ice cream maker help Augustus Jackson make the ice cream faster? 

An experiment with salt and ice:

Ice and Salt Experiment Ideas for Kids

An experiment with salt and ice:

https://www.steampoweredfamily.com/winter-stem-activity/

What’s the point of salt in making ice cream (13:15):

what's the point of SALT in making Ice Cream

Research Augustus Jackson:

blackpast.org.

https://www.blackpast.org/childrens-page/augustus-jackson-1808-1852/

Black History Episode 25 (2:23):

https://youtu.be/znCEBVMAKE8?si=DtdxAQYzIhGvdMPq

Why Augustus Jackson is Known as the Father of Ice Cream.

https://www.americastestkitchen.com/cookscountry/articles/6910-in-the-library-with-toni-tipton-martin

Use the research from these sites or the Afterward in Ice Cream Man: How Augustus Jackson Made a Sweet Treat Better to create a poster about Augustus Jackson’s life. Use a program like Canva or create it on a sheet of paper.

MakerSpace Activities:

Make a paper or textured ice cream cone (4:34)

https://youtu.be/VpW680nF1j0?si=cRs6sz6meu4vhefx

Make an ice cream necklace:

https://www.handmadecharlotte.com/72514/

Make an ice cream bookmark: 

https://artsycraftsymom.com/how-to-make-icecream-bookmarks-perfect-for-summer/

Pom Pom Ice Cream Cones:

https://growingupgabel.com/ice-cream-cone-garland/

Artastic cones:

https://artasticartists.blogspot.com/2012/03/we-scream-for-ice-cream-and-cupcakes.html

Discussion Questions:

Based on the title and cover of the book, what are some predictions you can make about the story?

What have you heard about Augustus Jackson?

What do you know about how ice cream is made?

What skill do you have now that could lead to a career like Gus’ skills with cooking?

Gus left his family at 12 years old to follow his dream. How would you prepare to leave your family at 12 and live independently?

Gus did not start as a cook at the White House. How did the jobs he did in his first five years prepare him to be a cook?

Gus was not a slave, but he lived and worked with people who were slaves. How do you think this made him feel? How would you feel?

Before Gus left the White House, why do you think ice cream was a treat only for the rich?

If you could create a new ice cream flavor for Gus’ shop, what would it be? Why?

Why would Gus chant as he walked down Goodwater Street with his ice cream?

Why do you think Gus decided to sell ice cream to the new ice cream shop owner? 

Why do you think Gus did not keep all his ice cream in his shop?

How did rock salt help Gus become rich?

What are some other ways that Gus’ idea of using rock salt to freeze ice cream faster could be used?

Gus is sometimes called the “Father of Ice Cream”. If Gus did not invent ice cream, why does he deserve this title?

What do you think of the book’s title? What other title might you choose?

Why do you think the author wrote this story?

Book Talk Teasers:

Read the reader’s theater for Ice Cream Man: How Augustus Jackson Made a Sweet Treat Better on the Texas Bluebonnet Award website.

Watch the book trailer for Ice Cream Man: How Augustus Jackson Made a Sweet Treat Better on the Texas Bluebonnet Award website.

Read Alikes: 

Inventors:

Abdul-Jabbar, Kareem. What Color is My World?: How African-American Inventors Changed the Way We Live. While twins Ella and Herbie help the handyman Mr. Midal work on their new home, he tells them about such inventors as Granville Woods, Dr. Henry T. Sampson, and James West, giving them a new view of their heritage as African-Americans. (NoveList)

Barton, Chris. Whoosh: Lonnie Johnson’s Super-Soaking Stream of Inventions. Trying to create a new cooling system for refrigerators, inventor Lonnie Johnson instead created the mechanics for an iconic toy. As a kid, Lonnie Johnson loved rockets, robots, inventions, and creativity. With persistence and a passion for problem-solving, he became an engineer and worked for NASA. But it is his invention of the Super Soaker water gun that has made his most memorable splash with kids and adults. Captured by New York Times best-selling author Chris Barton and award-winning illustrator Don Tate. (Goodreads)

Biebow, Natascha. The Crayon Man: The True Story of the Invention of Crayola Crayons. Celebrating the inventor of the Crayola crayon! This picture book biography tells the story of Edwin Binney, the inventor of one of the world's most beloved stationary supplies.

purple mountains’ majesty, mauvelous, jungle green, razzmatazz…

What child doesn't love to hold a crayon in their hands? But children didn't always have such magical boxes of crayons. Here’s the true story of an inventor who so loved nature’s vibrant colors that he found a way to bring the outside world to children – in a box for only a nickel! (Goodreads)

Ice Cream:

Gibbons, Gale. Ice Cream: The Full Scoop. Cool and smooth and sweet, ice cream has long been a favorite treat. It cools you off when it's hot and is too delicious to resist even in cold weather. How did it get to be so scrumptious? Best-selling author/illustrator Gail Gibbons dishes out the latest scoop on ice cream production. Ice cream has come a long way from its humble beginnings as a mixture of snow, milk, and rice. Gail Gibbons details the many firsts in ice cream history, from the earliest ice cream crank to the original waffle cone. Children's mouths will be watering as they follow ice cream's journey from farm to factory to freezer. (Goodreads)

Bailey, R.J. How is it Made?: Ice Cream. In Ice Cream, early fluent readers learn about the process by which fresh cream is transformed into a delicious frozen treat. Vibrant, full-color photos and carefully leveled text engage young readers as they learn about this fascinating process. (Goodreads)