If you’re looking for something fabulously cool to do for your kid’s upcoming Halloween party check this out! (=
Bring some Witch’s Brew! It’s sooo cool, and easy to do. (=
We just tested it at home and here how to set it up:
- Buy a large plastic cauldron at Party City or somewhere. Fill a clean ice cream bucket with your “witch’s brew” – we are using apple juice to be all healthy. You can mix pineapple juice, sprite, or whatever you want. Put the lid on the ice cream bucket and put the bucket (with lid ON) inside the cauldron.
- When you are ready to start your brew — Break 2-4 pounds of dry ice into large chunks and pour them in the cauldron all around the ice cream bucket of juice. Make sure the LID IS ON SO NO DRY ICE GETS INTO THE JUICE. Safety Notes: Do not touch the dry ice with bare skin, Use hot mitts and tongs. Leave the ice in a plastic bag and use a hammer or meat mallet to chunk it up in the bag. Do not ingest dry ice – make sure it does not get in the juice!
- With the lid still on the ice cream bucket, dump 1-2 gallons of hot tap water into the cauldron over the dry ice. Your cauldron will start to bubble and brew! (=
- You can reach into the fog with no harm – just DO NOT TOUCH OR INGEST the dry ice at the bottom of the cauldron. Reach in and remove the lid on the ice cream bucket – then just use your drink ladle to reach through the fog and dish up the brew. (=
If my kids testing this are any indication – kids will LOVE THIS at their parties! (=
We got our dry ice at a local grocery store – it was a couple dollars a pound. You will need a Styrofoam cooler to keep it in, and you will want to buy it the day you want to use it. Check out this site for info on safety and where to buy www.dryiceideas.com
Have fun! And be safe!
UPDATE: I’ve now done this in multiple classrooms over a few years’ time and it’s ALWAYS a huge hit!! I also bring a tall Tupperware container with to put some dry ice and hot water in to walk around the class with. I let each kid blow the fog out of the bucket and wave their hands in it — they LOVE it!! It’s such a fun party idea! (=
You might also like to see our Mad Scientist – Dry Ice Photo Shoot Fun post! (=
At my "for pay" job I'm a Marketing Manager in the Yearbook industry - it's pretty fun as far as jobs go. But, what I REALLY like to do is spend time with my adorable boys - cooking, painting, creating, and making a mess. We thought it would be fun to share some of our favorite things on this blog. We hope you enjoy reading about our exploits, and maybe even take the time to try a few of them yourself. (= 
Will the dry ice melt in the bottom of the plastic cauldron? Do you have a recipe for a witches brew with ice cream, like a rootbeer float? Lol i still remember when my 3rf grade teacher did this too! I now do one for my kids at tbeir school every Halloween, i am 29 years old i will never forget how fun it was! Thank you for the post!
Hi,
The dry ice will eventually all melt if you leave it in the cauldron long enough, but I usually put the last bits in the sink to finish melting. I just use tongs to remove it. Then I run hot water over it to speed up the melt — and of course to create more fun fog. (= I just make sure not to leave ANY pieces in the sink if I do it at school so that no little kids get curious and try to pick it up.
I don’t have a rootbeer witches’ brew recipe, but that sounds yummy!! Good idea! (=
It is super fun to do stuff like this that the kids will remember when they get older, isn’t it?!
Have a fun day!!
Shena (=
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How long does the cauldron bubble and put off “fog”?
Hi, the fog will last until the dry ice is all melted. I believe it is a 5 pound bag that I get, then I chunk it into large chunks. I dump about a gallon of hot water on it and I get a good 20-30 minutes from it. Then when it stops rolling out on its own, just blow into it to make it flow out more. (=
I always have some ice left after parties too, and it’s fun to bring home and use for photo shoots with the boys. (=
Enjoy!!
Shena (=
I still remember the dry ice caldron from my third grade class, over 20 years ago. Lots of fun and very memorable. Thanks for sharing!
I hope my kiddos remember it when they are older too! How fun! (=
Have a fabulous day!
Shena (=