Did you ever pause to think about what I am trying to accomplish by teaching children the fundamentals of food preparation? On the surface, cooking is deceptively simple. If you examine the process more deeply, however, it becomes clear that there is so much that students learn in my Chef class.
"Not only is this my favorite class Mrs. C...this is my most challenging class yet." This is how one of my students described the cooking class I teach.
This particular student is an honor student who has fallen in love with cooking. She is an overachiever and actually wrote an article for the local newspaper describing her favorite class, which happens to be my Chef class. I am extremely fortunate to work with so many wonderful children. The students at my school are kind, hardworking, caring, and compassionate. I serve a wide range of students, from autistic, down syndrome, basic skills, ESL, to honor students. My classroom provides a forum for students to work with and appreciate all types of learners.
My Project
My students will be participating in a cupcake war competition. They will be using the KitchenAid mixer for their icing and cupcake recipe. The competition is an exciting event in my classroom. The students work extremely hard inventing recipes and incorporating their secret ingredient and theme into their cupcake design. Administrators, teachers, and staff come into the classroom to taste, watch student presentations, and judge the cupcakes. The students work in teams of 5 to 6, (5 teams in all), in order to accomplish so many jobs. The tasks include: creating a cupcake display, cupcake recipe, icing, decorations, and presentation.
Last year during the cupcake war competition we used hand held mixers and one of the mixers caught on fire and 3 others broke. The KitchenAid standing mixer will be safe and provide my students with the ability to complete their tasks in a timely manner. I have already purchased one KitchenAid using my own money and desperately need, at least two more.
Cupcake wars encourages my students to apply problem solving to unexpected lab situations.
It introduces students to the scientific concepts behind the chemical changes that take place in food as we cook. My students practice measuring and apply basic mathematical computations in order to yield 24 cupcakes. This lesson encourages students to appreciate food preparation as both a science and an art. Cupcake wars is an exciting event in my classroom and creates a fun learning environment for kids.
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As a teacher-founded nonprofit, we're trusted by thousands of teachers and supporters across the country. This classroom request for funding was created by Mrs. Califano and reviewed by the DonorsChoose team.