I am starting a cookie decorating club with my daughter and all the girls in her class, every Friday. We had are first class today, it went okay. We had some small problems

1. I made Toba's glaze very tasty. Is there a way to make it dry faster for the kids.
or is there a different recipe that would work better for kids. I also think I made the glaze a little to runny. As the colors ran together very easily. This was my first attempt at this recipe. I purchased Wilton 18 pack of squeeze bottle with #2 tips. I thought the kids would have a easier time using the bottles.

Can you give me some tips that would make teaching the kids easier?

I have never really decorated cookie myself, so this is going to be a learning experience for myself . I have read hours of post in the cookie forum. I still feel real inexperienced. I hope I wouldn't turn any of the kids away with my inexperience. All I know is that my daughter has a calendar by her bed and marks off the day until Friday. I think that is what keeps me trying. I guess all mother what to be the apple of there kids eye.

I have a 3 year old son who bakes and decorates with me. With him I found it was really hard to use the flooding icing. I found that making a thicker icing with a tip 2 or 3 depending on the consistancy worked out better for him. But something I found he really liked better was Marshmallow Fondant. To him it was like play dough. You can make it at home and it is really cheap. All you need is marshmallows, powdered sugar and little flavoring and a microwave. It can be made ahead of time and the kids can roll it out with their hands or with a rolling pin and press out shapes to match the cookies. Easy to attach to cookies...you just need corn syrup. Easy and very fun to do. The nice thing about MMF is that you don't have to wait for the icing to dry. Creations are endless. But regardless of what you do....you daughter will love doing it....because you are doing it with her.

Hi I think this is awsome idea and I will be doing a class on teachings moms how to decorate cookies for birthdays or with there children. I needed some simple ideas because I tend to go overboard when doing cookies and spending alot of money, and we only have a few hours for this class as well. I ended up with 4 things that I was going to do...
1. Have the class do a cookie that you can put a glaze white background or a favorite color. You can even get the glaze on before they get there so it drys fast or do 2 cookies.. so it has enough time to dry. then do a class on stamping the cookies.
2. Do a background and let dry Using edible ink markers.. let them get creative coloring or stencling on them. .
3. Use a theme lets say "princess" then make crown cookies shoe cookies and a star for a wand with a stick in it and have them use buttercream this time, have them pick one, and have pearls rockcandy and sugar sprinkles, to decorate these the way they would like..
4. Get paint brushes and use the glaze to paint on the cookies and add sprinkles to the cookies while still wet.
5. I just thought of this but have buttercream and diffrent candy and let them use the tips to make flowers boarders and do a free play or a flower class...
another just came up.. 6. Buy some plastic dinos or figures 1.00 store and let them make grass and rocks out of fondant or buttercream etc...and decorated that way..
You may have to practice the day before and use the cookies as samples for the class. And the good thing about this for you is you are doing this every friday so you don't have to cram it all at once...
See this is why I have a hard time choosing something quick and easy for my class.. I don't want to over load them or be overwelming for a first time student...
My daughter is 5 and I think I'm going to have to set something like this up for her.. if you need more Ideas I would love to help you can pm me. I do have a shiny glaze that drys quick and you can thicken it also. And the fondant is also a awsome idea for a class....like happybug98 mentioned. I will post the recpie as soon as I find it... hope this is helpful... good luck and wish me luck too...

Here is the recpie I use it works well for me:

1 c. powder sugar
2 tsp. light corn syrup
2 tsp. milk
1/4 tsp. almond extract.

In a small bowl stirr sugar & milk untill smooth beat in corn syrup & almond extract.
note. if to thick add more corn syrup
dip cookies or paint with a brush.
this will harden so you can color on it or stamp etc... and leave a glossy look.

You can use the foam stamps very cheap sponge stamps I don't see why you couldn't use the rubber stamps as long as no ink have been on them and maybe wash them with soap and water. There was a thread under stamping saying not to use a certain kind because of bacteric but I can't find where it was. I know I read it. And you can use the gel coloring your markers or I mix my airbrush colors with a bit of piping gel to thicken a little. Hope this helps....

No problem the kids just love to decorate with this also and I think the moms will have some fun with it as well I will post some photos from my class.

No problem the kids just love to decorate with this also and I think the moms will have some fun with it as well I will post some photos from my class.