Ziploc bags are a part of every kitchen, even at a daycare center. They are important for sanitation and storing leftovers. They help keep food fresh and allow a cook to divide large portions into smaller, more manageable amounts. But Ziploc and Zippit bags of various sizes can be used in many other ways as well. Ziploc and Zippit bags are available from a daycare supplier, such as PureFUN!

Ziploc bags can be used in daycare teaching and craft ideas. Childcare providers will love using these creative ideas without a lot of extra expense.

Ziploc Bag Ice Cream

1 T. sugar
½ cup milk or half & half
¼ t. vanilla
6 T. rock salt
1 pint size Ziploc bag
1 gallon size Ziploc bag
Ice cubes

Fill large bag half full of ice, and add the rock salt. Set aside. Put sugar, milk, and vanilla in the small bag and seal it. Put the small bag in the large bag and seal it carefully. Shake the bag about 5 minutes until the mixture becomes ice cream. Take the small bag out of the larger one, wiping off the top carefully before opening.

Mini-Scrapbooks

Gallon or quart size Ziploc bags can be used, depending on the size of the finished book. Place approximately 5 bags in a stack with the zip at the top. Staple along the left side of the bags. For the book cover, you can either add a piece of cardboard with holes punched on the sides or use the first bag as a cover by placing a piece of cardboard in it. The kids can decorate pieces of construction paper or cardboard cut the size of the bags with photos or magazine pictures or mementos from a field trip and put each page in a zip bag. Seal each bag and decorate the cover.

Activity bags

A childcare teacher can create activity bags that children can do independently with little to no expense. Gallon Ziploc bags work best because they are large enough to hold different activities and the kids can see through them and identify the activity. They can also get it out and put it away on their own. Also, the bags make the activities easy for the teacher to store. So what kind of activities can you put in a Ziploc bag? Index cards with a number written on each, such as 1-10. On the back of the card, put the same number of mini stickers. Include beads or bingo markers in the bag and let the kids match up the right number of beads to each card. Index cards with alphabet letters could be matched to cards with a picture on them (such as T and tiger) or the activity could be to put the letters in order. To teach kids sorting skills, put various items in the bag, such as nuts and bolts, or different color paper clips, beads or pasta shapes, and ask the kids to sort each type.

There are many easy activities that can be created with a little imagination. If teachers develop an activity for each child in the class, this can be a center activity where each child works independently on an activity for a few minutes and then they can trade.

Teaching Colors

Place a little paint in one Ziploc bag, preferably from one of the paint bottles that can be easily poured. Depending on the age of the kids, have them name the colors. Or if they are older, add a second color, and have them guess what new color will be formed.

Remember with all Ziploc bag crafts, children should be well supervised. It is possible for a child to fit a bag over their head. Never leave a child unattended. Michael Kors satchel bag