I'm a 7th grade teacher and our students are taking the state achievement tests this week. Our group of teachers decided we'd offer various non-educational activities for them to participate in the afternoons on testing days. The only way they were allowed to the activities is if they showed up on time and took the test each day. (I teach for Toledo Public Schools) which has a hard time with attendance in the inner-city.) Anyways, one of the activities we came up with was cake decorating...the kids are very excited. I'm making 6 inch rounds..one layer and have gotten the large bucket of buttercream from SAMS. I was thinking of doing the cookie cutter impression in the cake and teaching them how to star in the design?? Like in the wilton class..any other ideas of what to show them? I have about 2 and a half hours with them.
Thanks
Anita

you could also teach them a simple border to coordinate with the cake-- and perhaps how to torte and fill a cake.

how about getting some fondant and letting them make some little accents,(ribbon roses, bows, little figures etc.) it will seem familiar to them (like playing with play doh) so if anyone gets frustrated with the piping they can play with that.

cake decorating is NOT non-educational!

it is a practical application of math (esp. ratios, fractions, weights & measures), science (esp. chemistry), (physics (esp. thermodynamics), nutrition (well at least how Bad it is for you -- but please spare me the details), and art (aesthetics, form, line, balance, color, etc.)

so make cakes and learn!

I would approach it like a 1 level class but for them.
Last year, I had a request very similar to yours, here in MN, you cannot do homemake food and bring it in the school, so they had to look at getting the cakes and all supplies from grocery store/cake store. The cakes were going to take them over the top. I suggested large muffins, I had my outline worked out. They wanted a lot of stuff in 45 minutes. I was basically doing it for free, they just had to pay for the supplies, but that was too much for their last minute idea. So if you have those already you are in business.

This year. I did a presentation for my son's preschool, real low level entry stuff.
I showed the kids how to make a pumkin, then they were able to decorate plain grocery store cupcakes last Oct.
I did molded chocolates with them for the spring theme last week and the kids were talking about it the rest of the week.
If you are interested I could send you my outline and you could add delete and embelish from there. Just PM me.

I find this a great Idea and think more of these presentation should be done in schools to get kids excited about baking, cooking and all that!

Good Luck

My first exposure to cake decorating was in public school, about that age, in a little workshop like you are describing. I loved it and have loved decorating cakes ever since. I also have had the chance to teach similar classes to kids that age on a couple of different occasions. I think you will find by the time you teach them the basics....filling the bags, proper technique, practicing with their different tips on wax paper or something and then maybe using the final hour to do their cake you will be out of time. If I remember correctly....way back when.....we star tipped a small oval cake into a 3D bunny. Wow! That was a long time ago. Anyway, great job! You will probably inspire a future caker!

Thanks for all of the great advice

And Doug--You are absolutely right...I wasn't thinking real life applications and boy should I be..and will! I think it will hit home with math especially....too bad I'm a Language Arts Teacher!!! But, I'll throw something in with that..cake decorators create menus, brochures, etc.etc...needs to all be grammatically correct...and leave out the nutrition part haha!!
Thanks again!