Home Is Where My Story Begins

Baking With Kindergartners

We started our cooking unit in kindergarten today.  I always like to start with something really fun and really yummy.  They were literally jumping up and down when I pulled the chocolate chips out of the bag.  Our project involved math, reading, writing, and an experience that some kids had never had the chance to participate in before.
 
When I bake with my class, I always bring extras for my coworkers.  Last night I made a double batch of chocolate chip cookie dough and then put it in the fridge.  I used our portable oven in the classroom to bake them up.  These were the cookies “untouched by kid hands” that I offered to my friends.  The email usually reads something like this:
 
There are warm cookies in kindergarten today!  The cookies on top of the oven are up for grabs.  Kid hands have not touched these cookies.  Help yourselves.
 
It takes about 2 minutes for the teachers to start wandering in. 
 
 
Want to know why we make sure to have cookies untouched by kid hands?  I sent each table group to wash their hands before helping with the measuring, mixing, and baking that we did in the classroom.  One of my little boys had just finished drying his hands when I turned to look at him and I said, “Oh, Pumpkin, can you go wash again?  We don’t want to bake with our fingers in our nose.”
 
Even though I’m sure those germs all bake out, I’ll always have your backs Friends.  There will ALWAYS be warm cookies, untouched by kid hands.  Always.
 
Happy nose picking baking!
 
 

Leave a Comment

The Comments

  • tessie
    February 28, 2013

    This post brought back memories! I used to teach kindergarten many, many years ago! One day I decided it would be fun to make filled chocolates…what was I thinking?! I had already painted the plastic shapes with chocolate, so the children made the filling and pushed it inside, then painted melted chocolate on to seal the filling in.
    It actually went fine…except the vanilla fondant filling was more gray than white….from their little kindergarten hands. Yuch!