Have any of you taught your kids to decorate? At what age did they start?

I started giving my daughter blank cakes or cupcakes, sprinkles, bags of icing, Wilton spray color, fondant, etc. when she was 2 1/2. She has a ball and makes a mess, but the result is nothing artistic (if you're not a parent. ) She definitely has an interest but not necessarily a talent yet.

The SD Cake Show is in March and entrants can start at 4. She wants to do a cake. What is reasonable to expect of a 4 year old? What can I have her do? Should I lead her to a planned piece or let her have at it?

(I can bake the cake and make white icing...she has to do everything else.)

Has any of your kids entered a competition?
Any ideas would be helpful.
Thanks!

Here is my son's part of my site:

http://www.spdak.com/other%20pages/Chef%20in%20Training.htm

he is 10 now, but I think it lists his ages with each project. He started out just messing around too but really does well now with fondant for his age. (lets just say I have interviewed ppl with less skills!)

ok so it doesn't list ages but years... he turned 6 in October '04

Kory, I think your son is better at fondant that I am!!!

My girls are 5, 3 and 1. The older two love to make figures with fondant, the baby just eats it. One time they made purse cakes with their friends which was incredibly cute. I covered them in fondant and then let them paint their cakes. I didn't get a good picture but they cut out little flowers and stars and even painted their names on them. the one friend was 5 1/2, nearly 6 months older than my daughter and really did a good job, very artistic but of course I didn't get a pic of her cake before she left.

Yep, My oldest daughter (23) also decorates cakes as a hobby, but she is now thinking about doing it more seriously. She is an extremely talented artist. My son (17) shows some interest, he is an amazing cook. My middle daughter (21) hasn't really shown any desire to learn to decorate, which is odd because her boyfriend's mom also decorates cakes (JILBRY)...LOL!

My kids love to decorate cakes/cuppies/cookies/the table.. . My daughter isn't too shabby for 7 years old. She plans things out and has repeating patterns and all that. My son just likes to make blobs, but he's 5. When they are home when I have to decorate I always give them stuff to mess with. The mess is well worth the ability to not worry what they are getting into. My daughter makes little figures from gumpaste too.. she has quite an artistic flair though.

For the family cakes, I let my 4 year old son help, he loves to cut out the flowers, uses the balling tool to spread them out and glue them on the cakes, he does great at it. Sometimes he and my 3 year old daughter get playdough, sometimes fondant...we have to remind whether or not its the one they can eat.

I've tried to interest them in anything to do with cakes/desserts...nope...not one. I now share with my grandson every chance I get. sometimes, I'll sit at the table with him while he plays with (and eats) fondant. Well, (and I still giggle when I think about it), I thought I'd let him help me roll out dumplin's. He found out REAL QUICK that biscuit dough doesn't taste like fondant and immediately tried to eject the offending gob from his mouth trying his best not to touch it with his hands or any other part of his mouth....I was in tears...him...shaking his head trying to get it to cooperate...it just kept getting stickier and stretchier....I finally decided to help him out of his predicament.

Oh and I do use DS in a pinch when I am behind... he knows how to roll pearls and calla lily centers and how to cut out all manner of flowers and dots hes fast too