Cookie Decorating with First Graders

December 13, 2012 –

You know how sometimes you get an idea into your head that you think would be so fun but you know that it also entails a lot of preparation?  Well, that pretty much describes the cookie decorating event.

I was reminiscing about the many gingerbread houses we – as a family- decorated back in the States and I just thought the first graders (Ava's class) would enjoy decorating cookies.  Since gingerbread houses would be too elaborate, too expensive and time consuming we settled on decorating cookies instead.  Ah, I should probably explain that I'm the home room parent for Ava's class.  Not that I know what that actually means.  

Both first grade teachers agreed that their classes could carve a little bit of time out of one day to have this fun little event.  YAY!!!!!

What was involved with the preparation?

Well, let's see: baking four dozen sugar cookies (there are about 40 kids in the first grade plus teachers and one TA), making frosting and gather miscellaneous *edible* cookie decorating things (as in- sprinkles and candies).  Finding sprinkles here in China was tricky!  Perhaps I didn't look in the right places but I found a few bottles at one shop that claims to be a DIY Baking Shop.  ???  The frosting recipe was an easy one and I made three different colors available – white, pink, blue and green.  To make classroom clean-up easier I also scooped the frosting into individual plastic zipper baggies. (42 little baggies all together!) The kids could just snip the corner of the baggie and squeeze away!  I also bought some trays and tiny metal bowls that we could refill (knowing full well that if you give a kid a big box of sprinkles they're likely to use it all on one cookie!).  The trays really helped to contain the mess!!!

 Ava's teacher suggested that we rotate the students through in small groups to give everyone a chance to make their own. Great idea!  

It's time to DECORATE some SUGAR COOKIES!!!!!!!

Sprinkles-check! Frosting-check! Cookies-check! Mess containment- check! check! I think we're ready!!!!

The first group of kids…started out pretty timid decorating their cookies. However, after a few minutes they realized they could REALLY go nuts with the candies and sprinkles and frosting- and they did!!!

Another group of kids creating overloaded cookies!

Oh Nooooo!!! I totally forgot to take a photo of Ava's group (she was in the last batch of kids that got to decorate their cookies).  :-(  I'm so bummed!

Photo taken by Ava's teacher.  I snagged this from her blog post (see below for the link).

Here is the link to Ava's classroom blog where you can see more photos from the event: LINK 

Several kids in the last round of students ended up decorating more than one cookie.  Those extra, fully loaded cookies were given away to other teachers and teaching assistants.  :-) 

You kids did a marvelous job decorating those cookies!  And I just know you loved eating them too!!!  Thank you so much to both of the first grade teachers for allowing me to indulge the students with these treats! 

PS…two other parents helped out with other first grade class.  However, I made sure they had the same number cookies and decorating materials available to them.  

By the way, if you're ever thinking of doing this with a large group of kids or adults I *highly* recommend putting the frosting into the plastic zippered baggies.  While it was a pain getting the frosting into the baggies to begin with (I used an ice cream scooper which worked great and it made sure that all baggies got the same amount of frosting) it was *super* easy to use and easy to clean up.

**I think this event was a delicious success!!!  I learned that many of the students hadn't ever decorated a cookie before! Well, now they can say they have! 😉 ***

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Today is also Red and Green day at school!  (hence the red and green clothes the kids are wearing in the above photos.) 

Ava holding hands with her new friend….during a fire drill. This wasn't a planned fire drill – a security guard "accidentally" pulled on the fire alarm and even though there was no fire the rule is that both buildings of the school must be evacuated.  I happened to be volunteering in the library during this "event" (which meant I also had to leave the building). 

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 It's also the day before we leave on our week-long escape trip to Austria! We'll get to see Uropa soon!!!!!  YAY!!!!!!!!!!!  FREEEEEEEEEEEDOM!!!!!!!!! Fresh mountain air!  To-die-for food and baked goods.  Driving our own car! huh?  Funny how that has become something we look forward to.