The Friday before school started (that would be just over a week ago), I had two extra kiddos for the day. Our friends were on a tour in India, so I had A and E with me. A and Rylee go to the same school and my friend, Kristin, has a daughter who will be in A's class. So, I decided to invite Kristin and her crew (4 kids) over to make cookies with us.
Ellie, our amazing kid sitter, has not been over recently since Dani came to see us and then I've not worked with having extra kids, so she wanted to do something with us for a day. Cookie making was Ellie's idea. She's just awesome.
So, we had 9 kids...ages 10, 8, 8, 5, 4, 3, 3, 3, 3. (Yep...4 three year olds!) Ellie and I made the cookie dough and stuck it in the fridge just as Kristin and her kids were arriving. The kids played while us older folks talked. Then, we decided to roll out the dough.
The kids rolled and cut shapes. The dough really wasn't cold enough and got sticky. But, it was still fun.
As we finished the last of the cut-outs, I took out stuff for making personal pizzas. I had 2 rolls of Pillsbury dough that I cut into chunks for each kid to squish. Then, I had little bowls with sauce, pepperoni, ham, and pineapple. We cut parchment paper for each kid and then just slid each piece onto a big tray to bake....made it so much easier!
The kids cleaned up while the pizzas were baking, then we all had a little lunch (fruit, carrot sticks, and some chips rounded out our meal). We cleaned up from eating and the cookies were cooled. So, we tinted the icing I made and let the kids get to work--only this time we did two shifts with younger kids first and then older kids.
The kids had so much fun decorating! We made about 8 different colors of icing (well, Ellie did the tinting), had a half dozen types of sprinkles, and had a big mess going! (Did I even have to say it was messy? Isn't that a given!)
For those of you who know me well, you know I don't really like messes. I don't care for my kids to paint because it's messy. It takes a lot for me to get out the playdoh. But, I'm a sucker for something that can be used--like cookies to eat and share and pizzas for lunch.
I talked at Christmas time about crafts and projects. I decided then that if it involved food, I was up for it. Remind me when December rolls around! Do not let me buy anything for crafts if it doesn't involve food! Or, invite me to your house to do the non-food craft thing!
Ellie, our amazing kid sitter, has not been over recently since Dani came to see us and then I've not worked with having extra kids, so she wanted to do something with us for a day. Cookie making was Ellie's idea. She's just awesome.
So, we had 9 kids...ages 10, 8, 8, 5, 4, 3, 3, 3, 3. (Yep...4 three year olds!) Ellie and I made the cookie dough and stuck it in the fridge just as Kristin and her kids were arriving. The kids played while us older folks talked. Then, we decided to roll out the dough.
The kids rolled and cut shapes. The dough really wasn't cold enough and got sticky. But, it was still fun.
As we finished the last of the cut-outs, I took out stuff for making personal pizzas. I had 2 rolls of Pillsbury dough that I cut into chunks for each kid to squish. Then, I had little bowls with sauce, pepperoni, ham, and pineapple. We cut parchment paper for each kid and then just slid each piece onto a big tray to bake....made it so much easier!
The kids cleaned up while the pizzas were baking, then we all had a little lunch (fruit, carrot sticks, and some chips rounded out our meal). We cleaned up from eating and the cookies were cooled. So, we tinted the icing I made and let the kids get to work--only this time we did two shifts with younger kids first and then older kids.
The kids had so much fun decorating! We made about 8 different colors of icing (well, Ellie did the tinting), had a half dozen types of sprinkles, and had a big mess going! (Did I even have to say it was messy? Isn't that a given!)
For those of you who know me well, you know I don't really like messes. I don't care for my kids to paint because it's messy. It takes a lot for me to get out the playdoh. But, I'm a sucker for something that can be used--like cookies to eat and share and pizzas for lunch.
I talked at Christmas time about crafts and projects. I decided then that if it involved food, I was up for it. Remind me when December rolls around! Do not let me buy anything for crafts if it doesn't involve food! Or, invite me to your house to do the non-food craft thing!
How fun (and messy!) I get annoyed with messes too. I think your idea of letting them make food-related messes is great. We're used to spending so much time cleaning up the kitchen anyway!
ReplyDeleteDo you realize what a valuable lifeskills lesson you have taught those children...and it's lots of fun that I am sure they will remember forever! You're a great mom...
ReplyDeleteNana
What a fun day! It really was as fun as it looks. :) ...and yummy! Thanks so much for including us. You all are invited over anytime for a painting/play-doh ooey-gooey free-for-all. Take care!
ReplyDeleteKristin
i'll always have fabulous memories of that messy time :)
ReplyDeleteEllie,
ReplyDeleteyou'd probably have more fabulous memories if someone would give you all the pictures you took!
This looks like lots of fun - you were very brave to tackle this many kids!!!!! Everything is so colorful in the pictures - I could almost taste the frosting!! You are such a fun mom!!!!!
ReplyDelete