Young Chefs: Easy Cakes, Cookies, and Muffins — 5 Ingredients or Fewer! (FLEX)

When I was a little girl, I begged my mom to let me help in the kitchen. The few times she let me make things all by myself are some of my most treasured memories! 

As a parent of 3 children, I now understand how much work can be involved in letting kids create in the kitchen! With this in mind, I am designing classes that will give children the joy of "I made this myself!" while minimizing the work for the adult helpers. I chose the EASIEST recipes with the SIMPLEST steps, so that even a small child can do most tasks with minimal help! Each recipe requires only 2 to 5 ingredients. Fewer ingredients means: less prep, less mess, and less cleanup! For this class, we will make the following treats:

Week 1: No-Bake Ice Cream "Cake"
Week 2: Pumpkin Spice Muffins
Week 3: Fluffy Pineapple Cake
Week 4: Soft Lemon Bites Cookies

PLEASE NOTE: This is a FLEX class, meaning that there are no live meetings. Instead, prerecorded videos will be uploaded weekly to the classroom for the learners to watch and follow at their convenience. Recipes, supply lists, ingredient lists, and other important information will also be posted in the classroom. When you sign up, your welcome email will include the complete supply and ingredient list for the first week. (This information will also be in the first post in the classroom.) 

The classroom will serve as our virtual brainstorming and sharing room, where we will cook up ideas together! Our class will be fun and interactive. We will:

- Play a virtual game of "Outschool BINGO" to get to know our classmates. Each student will receive a unique BINGO card. Each day, we will answer questions such as, "Who speaks more than one language? Who is taking their first Outschool class?" We will mark our BINGO cards as we go. The first learner to get 4 in a row wins! 

- Post pictures and/or videos of our creations each week. I will personally respond to every photo and video, either in the classroom or through Outschool's private messaging system. I am excited to see your creations! 

- Post short video responses to encourage our classmates: "Abby, I think your cake is so pretty!"

- Post comments, photos or videos in response to weekly challenges: "Who can think of a new flavor combination we should try for the cake mix cookies?" 

- Post comments, photos or videos in response to weekly discussion questions. Some sample discussion questions:

What was hard about this recipe?
What was easy about this recipe?  
What are you most proud of?
What would you change about this recipe?
What do you think we could add to make this tastier?

I will be available each day to answer questions, whether posted in the classroom or sent privately through the Outschool messaging system. 

Why a FLEX class? Here are a couple of reasons why baking classes works best in this format:

1) Different learners work at different paces. Some children may need more help than others, or more time to complete a task. With a FLEX class, learners can work at their own pace, without feel rushed or pressured to keep up with the others or to finish on time. 

2) Though my family and I would enjoy having lots of these yummy treats, it wouldn't be the best for our budget or our waistlines if I did live demonstrations of each recipe several times a day! 
 
This class assumes that your child is an absolute beginner with no prior cooking or baking experience. My teaching style reflects this; I break everything down into the smallest possible tasks. Your child will be able to bake with confidence! 

For those who may not have the same equipment that I use, I will show multiple ways of making the recipes. I will also suggest ways that your child can add his/her own creativity to each recipe. Throughout each video, I will reinforce safety and hygiene rules, as well as how to "clean as you go." 

I can't wait to see your learner's delicious creations in the classroom!