Our town offers a wonderful summer recreation program, and this is where my sister and I have taught cake decoration to third - fifth graders for the last two summers. Our class is always listed in the catalog as "cake decorating," or "Cake Boss," but we focus on more than cakes and cupcakes. Our goal is to teach the campers the basic skills of piping frosting, working with fondant and modeling chocolate, and knowing the important differences between homemade buttercream frosting and store-bought buttercream. Halfway through each week, my sister and I have made about 20 pounds of buttercream each, I have made at least 8 pounds of marshmallow fondant, and my sister has baked hundreds of cupcakes, mini-cupcakes, mini-cakes, etc. This is when we look at each other and start thinking about never teaching this class again. But when the kids walk into the staff room the next day and can't wait to begin the day's projects, we realize that we are in it for good. But why? Why is it important (and rewarding) to teach kids kitchen skills, especially non-essential and non-nutritious skills like cake decorating?
Logical Reasoning Baking and decorating rely on the use of logical thinking and reasoning. Every time a recipe or project turns out differently than planned, the baker automatically tries to think about what went wrong. Was the oven too hot? The cupcake pans filled too high? Was any sugar omitted? Working at a table with three or four other bakers also offers plenty of opportunity to observe differences and make predictions. While decorating our Despicable Me “Minion Cupcakes,” some girls followed my example and tried to draw goggles on an upright Twinkie. A few girls saw that this was not easy, and decided to lay the Twinkie on the table and decorate before placing it on their cupcake. They are problem solving and don’t even realize it! Autonomy I work with high school age students during the school year, but much of my teaching experience consisted of working with preschoolers. One pet peeve of mine was when preschool teachers would make a sample of an art project and display it so the students could copy it. Most of the students would diligently try to replicate the teacher’s work and there was very little creativity involved. For this reason, I am hesitant to show our bakers photos of the projects that they are working on. Inevitably they ask to see a picture of the finished product and I have become less reluctant to show them. At this age, 8- 11-years old, I find that they don’t want to copy the picture but want a vision of their goal. They are occasionally disappointed that their end results isn’t “as good” as the photo in a book or online, but they are usually more proud than upset. One question that my sister and I always hear is, “It is ok if I do ___ instead of ________?” Another is, “Do we have to __________ like in the picture?” We remind them at least once a day that they don’t HAVE to do anything. It is their work, and they should follow their hearts and their vision. There is always a sense of relief when the students hear this; unlike homework or certain school assignments, this work is all theirs. Vocabulary Development Our students are usually fans of Cupcake Wars, Cake Boss, Ace of Cakes... any baking contest shows on television are popular with our kids. They have heard the terms fondant (even if everyone pronounces it slightly differently), crumb coat, offset spatula, etc. Using the words while baking and decorating treats deepens their vocabulary development. Students who say, "I like this homemade buttercream so much better than store-boughten frosting" in the beginning of the week are saying, "The homemade buttercream is richer and smoother, but more dense," a few days later. Similarly, students who ask if there are any more “spreaders” to use know to ask for an available “offset spatula” by the end of the first day. Pride There is nothing better than looking at a student’s face as he or she holds up a plastic container full of the day’s projects, and watch a huge smile develop. Some of the kids will eat a project or two but most want to save everything to show to their families. The students know that they have spent three hours engaged in the exact same activities as professional adult bakers, and they feel an enormous sense of pride. This gives them a sense of competence in the kitchen and is a good foundation for a lifelong enjoyment of creating meals and desserts. There are many other reasons that we enjoy teaching this course so much. It is a fun class and is always over-enrolled. The students don’t know how many important skills they are developing each day, and that is fine with us. We are always covered with a thin, greasy layer of buttercream at the end of each day, and the kids leave trails of confectioner’s sugar as they leave the room. We are exhausted and sticky but share the students’ exhilaration as they bring their cupcakes, Rice Krispie Treat sushi, cookies and cake pops home to show off. Watching the students learn skills that will serve them well beyond the kitchen is 100% satisfaction for us, two high-school-level special education teachers who love to bake!
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AuthorMom to two sons, married 23 years to college sweetie. Instructional Technology Specialist for a vocational high school. Educator for 20+ years. Love to read, do anything crafty, and spend time with friends and family. Passionate about education, technology, and the combination of the two! I'm a proud foster-failure with Big Fluffy Dog Rescue, having fallen head-over-heels for our first foster and adopting her :) Archives
September 2017
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