Just in time for the heat of summer, youngsters attending the Science Saturday program at the Escalon Library on July 1 learned how they can make their own slushies.

With common household items including locking sandwich and quart or gallon bags, juice, ice, rock or table salt, cups, spoons and straws, the fun can begin.

Juice is placed in the small sandwich bag and then securely sealed. With a few tablespoons of salt added into the quart or gallon-size bag, then ice to fill the bottom, the sealed sandwich bag is placed inside. Add more ice to the top of the larger bag and then seal it. After that, participants were instructed to rock the bag back and forth, continually turning it in their hands – even though it gets very cold. The motion and the reaction of the ice and the salt help to ‘freeze’ the juice in the smaller bag, creating a homemade slushy.

It can also be utilized with milk or cream and flavorings like vanilla to create a more ice-cream like treat.

Hosting the event on Saturday, library staffer Amanda Clifford was pleased with the turnout and said other recent special programs at the library also drew a crowd. Those include the birdhouse painting event, with about 130 participants, and about 80 taking part in a Color Your World coloring class.