Baking with a Twist Plan
General Information
Activity Objective: Bake cookies for the truck and put them in bags along with a personal note.
Guiding points: (1) having a physical impediment is a challenge, (2) there are ways we can help others with those challenges, and (3) we need to have empathy and help without being bossy.
Activity will be 30 minutes with a 5 minute transition time.
Support & Technology Needs
One additional full-time person (not just a group leader) is needed to assist with baking, moving trays in and out, washing, etc. while the Activity Leader is assisting with teaching the activity.
Activity Set up &Take Down
Sunday afternoon setup:
Review training plan and talking points;
At locations other than STM, take photographs of the areas that you will use, to ensure we return it to the same setup when we leave;
You will need to bake cookies at home the night before, or get in very early on the first day to bake cookies and let them cool so the first group will have some to package while theirs are baking. (This is only on the first day.)
Ensure that all perishable supplies are transported from Fisher House refrigerator to the appropriate campus (and refrigerated) on moving day, since we will not be able to store these supplies with other equipment and boxes.
Daily (Monday through Thursday):
Be at camp by 8:00 or 8:15 at the latest.
At non-STM locations, be sure area is left as required daily. (This will be communicated clearly but separately from this document.)
At Emmaus, be sure Camp Director has requested gas to be turned on, and be sure it is turned off when leaving!
Take bagged cookies to the commissary or main camp gathering location.
Sweep floors, clean utensils, bowls, and pans, wipe down tables, take trash out to dumpster, and turn off air. Make sure all equipment has been returned to the designated storage space during the camp week, so that it is not mistakenly taken by someone else who may need to use the kitchen.
When packing up supplies, be sure to remember any of the leftover perishables (butter, eggs) that may be in the refrigerator.
At the end of every camp, be sure location is left clean and neat (garbage taken out if needed, area swept, painter’s tape, signs, and labels removed and thrown away, etc.). If thermostat was reset, turn it back to original setting. Turn off lights, put away tables that were set up, etc. Please take particular care to return any items that may have been moved to their original location.
At the end of the week, be sure to file a supply request form to replace any necessary supplies.
Daily Set up Plan:
Preheat ovens to 350 and turn down air conditioning every morning before class. 30 min prior to each group, remove butter from refrigerator to allow to soften.
Set up one mixing bowl per table with the following items: a package of cookie mix, one stick of butter, one spoon or spatula for mixing, 4-6 plastic spoons (one per camper), and Dixie cup with about a tablespoon of sprinkles.
Prepare eggs for easier pouring by cracking an egg into a Dixie cup (one per table). Keep egg-filled cups off of the tables until it’s time to add them to the dough, to prevent spills. (However, it is not recommended that the blindfolded group leaders come get these as egg cleanup is not pretty!)
Prepare cookie sheets with parchment paper for placing cookies on once dough is made. One per table.
Set up 2-3 tables for cookie making – 4-6 kids at each table depending on how many group leaders/spare ALs are available, as you need one per table - and one table for bagging station with already baked cookies (for them when they finish bagging) and Ziploc bags.
Keep bandanas out of sight until they are going to be used, so it’s a surprise of sorts.
Go through talking points.
Students need to wash hands before they get started. At campuses where this is not a realistic option, use hand sanitizer. However, this activity usually moves quickly enough that losing a few minutes to handwashing is not a problem.
Lead them through blindfolding and the cookie directions, having campers take turns helping group leaders add the ingredients, mixing the dough, and forming cookies. (one adds cookie mix, one adds butter, one pours egg, one pours sprinkles, they all take turns mixing and forming balls of dough)
Show campers an example of the correct size each cookie dough ball should be (about an inch).
As soon as the kids finish putting the cookies on the cookie sheets, get them in the oven immediately because they have to bake and cool so that the next group will be able to bag them.
Have kids wash hands once again.
Direct campers to the bagging table/station and add 2 cookies. They will all make 1 or 2 bags, then they can eat 1 cookie, and they go finish bagging all the rest of the cookies.
After each group, bowls and utensils will need to be washed.
Activity Supplies (for the week)
· Bandanas for blindfolding
· Sugar Cookie mix & ingredients (butter, eggs, sprinkles)
· Parchment Paper
· Cookie Sheets
· Dixie cups
· Ziploc bags, markers, card stock
· Plastic spoons
· Mixing bowls
· Spatulas
· Large mixing spoons or silicone spatulas
· Potholders
Lesson Plan
Cookie Making (oven should already be pre-heated)
You will use the cookies that are already baked or from the previous group
Put kids into groups of 4-6 depending on how many group leaders are available. (You will need one group leader or spare adult AL or volunteer per table.)
Prepare parchment paper on cookie sheets
Prepare eggs and sprinkles in Dixie cups
Each table needs plastic spoons (1 per child)
1 package of sugar cookie mix for each table
Pour one package of cookie mix into bowl.
Add softened butter and egg and stir until well blended.
Add sprinkles to the cookie dough, then mix in
Using spoon, shape/roll cookies into small balls and place onto parchment paper lined cookie sheet.
Have adult put cookie sheet in the oven and set timers. Bake as directed.
Have kids wash hands again before going to bagging station.
Put 2 cookies in bag
Kids can eat ONE cookie
Activity Leader leads the group; an extra Activity Leader helps with cookie baking, cleaning, and getting ready for the next group; extra adult volunteers or Activity Leaders are helpful.
Talking Points
Hi campers, welcome to the Cookie Making Station!
How many of you like fresh baked cookies? Doesn’t it make you feel special when someone makes them for you? Yes! That’s why we’re going to be making some cookies that will go out and get delivered on the MLF truck that serves the poor and the homeless, to help make them feel special.
So how many of you have been to camp before? And you know how we always make cookies, right? Is this anyone’s favorite activity? Well, we’re going to change it up a little bit this year!
Remember, we’re learning about homeless kids in camp this week, and how they face some challenges more frequently than kids who do have homes. One of those challenges they face more often is having a handicap, which can be any of so many different things. Maybe they have challenges seeing, or walking, or maybe their brains work in a little different way. Some of us have these challenges, too, of course!
We’re going to give your group leaders a chance to experience what it might be like to do a simple activity that we all do sometimes - but they are going to have to do it without vision. You campers are going to experience the challenge of helping them with that activity!
(Bring out the blindfolds. Have group leaders or extra ALs help with blindfolding, checking that they can’t see, etc.)
We’re going to have your group leaders make the cookies, but they are going to need your help. Here’s the trick, though – you can’t do it FOR them, you have to help them do it themselves. So for example, you can’t just dump the cookie mix into the bowl for them, you need to help them guide their hands to the right place to pick up the bag, help them find the bowl, and so forth. (Demonstrate how you will guide them, using another AL or anyone in the room.)
We’re going to go slowly so we don’t make huge messes!
So I need the first camper in your group to help your group leader find where the bowl and spatula/stirring spoons are and get that set up...
Next camper, guide them to getting the cookie mix, opening it, and pouring it into the bowl…(You can also have the cookie mix on a central table and have the campers have to guide the group leaders to get the unopened cookie mix and get back to the table. This will help the activity take a bit longer.)
Now the next camper, help them add the butter…(Butter should be on individual tables but still wrapped.)
Next one, help with the egg…(Egg-filled Dixie cups should be distributed to each individual table by AL.)
Now the sprinkles… (If you have an older group, you can have the sprinkles on a separate table and have the camper guide the group leader to the table and back.)
Now group leaders, we’re going to see how well you can mix this up! (Just let them barely get started, then have them take blindfolds off and pass it around to the campers to get stirred up.)
Because we don’t want cookies on the floor, we’ll let you guys use the plastic spoons and make the balls of cookies without blindfolds on!
(After they finish making the cookies, debrief them.)
Group leaders, what was hard about that for you? What was hard for you campers as helpers?
Now we’ll go bag up some cookies and give you a chance to try your creations!
(Go to bagging station and bag and sample cookies.)