Unbaking Plan
General Information
Activity objective: Kids will make no-bake cookies for the truck.
Guiding points : (1) we are all loved by God regardless of what we look like or how much money we have, and (2) there are little things we can all do to help make someone’s day brighter.
Activity will be 30 minutes with a 5 minute transition time.
Support & Technology Needs
A kitchen area with access to stove, sink, and refrigerator are needed. No oven is required. Ideally the activity itself is not conducted in a carpeted area as this may be messy!
One adult (volunteer or AL) is needed to prep ingredients at stove, wash dishes, etc. while main AL is leading the activity. An additional (3rd) adult is extremely helpful, if available.
Activity Set up &Take Down
Sunday afternoon setup:
Review training plan and talking points;
Ensure all necessary supplies are available;
Prepare the room or space if activity will occur on Monday;
Take photographs of the areas that you will use, to ensure we return it to the same setup when we leave.
Daily (Monday through Thursday):
Be sure area is left as required daily. (This is for spaces that are going to be used for other church activities during the week.)
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.
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:
Activity Leader leads the group; adult volunteer (if available) or an extra Activity Leader helps with stovetop prep, cleaning, and getting ready for the next group.
Make a couple of batches of smaller (roughly half sized) cookies ahead of time for the kids to use for sampling. These cookies are very rich! You should also make a couple of batches of regular sized cookies ahead of the first session so they have cookies to bag. (Ideally make these the day before or as soon as you get to camp the morning of.)
Prepare card stock by cutting each page into 1/8ths.
Set up a table or two to the side for card making with cut-up cardstock and markers. Use some butcher paper or plastic tablecloths to cover the tables. If using the butcher paper, you can write examples of things the kids can write on there.
Set up 2-3 tables for cookie making – up to 6 kids at each table; and one table for bagging station with already baked cookies (for them when they finish bagging) and Ziploc bags.
Set up each prep table with one mixing bowl, a premeasured bowl of oatmeal, a package of pudding mix, one spatula for mixing, 4 plastic spoons, and 2-3 cookie scoops.
At a separate table, have premeasured cups with chocolate chips and with toffee bits. (It is not recommended that these be placed on the kids’ tables ahead of time due to temptation!)
Prepare cookie sheets with waxed paper for placing cookies on once dough is made. One per table. You can reuse the waxed paper several times. Have a couple of extra cookie sheets ready to the side in case more space is needed.
One adult should be in the kitchen preparing 2-3 batches of the mixture that you cook on the stove. This hot mixture should ideally be finished cooking at about the time the kids come into the activity. While in the kitchen, it should be poured into a heavy, nonmetallic bowl and allowed to cool briefly (about 5 minutes).
Campers 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.
Distribute the bowls of the stovetop mixture, warning them it is hot.
Lead them through cookie directions, having campers take turns adding the ingredients, mixing the dough, and forming cookies. (one adds pudding mix, one adds oatmeal, one adds toffee bits, one adds chocolate chips, they all take turns mixing and forming balls of dough).
Distribute the chocolate chips and toffee bits as each table is ready for them. You may wish to have an assigned camper from each table come up to get these.
Show campers an example of the correct size each cookie dough ball should be (about an inch or one level cookie scoop).
As soon as the kids finish putting the cookies on the cookie sheets, put them in the refrigerator immediately so they can cool and firm up in time for the next group to be able to bag them.
Have kids wash hands once again. While they are washing, prepare tables for decorating cards with card stock and markers if you were not able to do this earlier.
Direct campers to the decorating station/table to make their cards/note (1 or 2 each). While they are making cards, bring the completed cookies out to the bagging station – cookies to bag and the smaller cookies to sample. Then they can go to the bagging table/station and add 2 cookies. They will all make 1 or 2 bags, then they can eat 1 cookie.
After each group, bowls and utensils will need to be washed.
Cookie Recipe
2 c. granulated sugar
3/4 c. butter
2/3 c. evaporated milk (half a 12 oz can)
1 small (3.4 oz.) pkg instant butterscotch pudding
3 1/2 c. quick oats
Scant ¼ tsp salt
1 c. semi-sweet chocolate chips
1/2 c. toffee chips
1. Bring sugar, butter, salt, and evaporated milk to a rolling boil over medium heat. (Do not try to speed this process up with high heat!) Stir frequently. Cook until all sugar is clearly dissolved.
2. Remove from heat and let rest a few minutes (5-10) until it cools a
little bit. Pour into a sturdy, non-metallic bowl.
3. Place a bowl of this mixture at each table. Let kids take turns adding pudding mix, oats, toffee bits, and chocolate chips (in that order). Be sure pudding mix and oatmeal are very thoroughly stirred in, but be careful to not over stir the toffee or chocolate chips or they will be melted and totally incorporated.
5. Drop by level (not heaping) cookie scoopfuls onto wax paper. Each batch makes about 36 cookies.
6. Let sit for at least 15 minutes, in refrigerator if available.
Activity Supplies (for the week)
Sugar $2/per 4# (14c) $0.27
Butter $3.38/per pound $1.27
Evap milk $1.28/per can $0.64
Pudding $0.45 $0.45
Oats $1.95 / large canister of 15 cups $0.50
Salt $0.01
Chocolate chips $2.48/12 oz $1.28
Toffee chips $1.97/4 svgs $0.50
Waxed paper $1.17/75 square feet
Cookie scoops, 3 medium sized
1 set measuring cups
1 set measuring spoons
Disposable bowls to hold ingredients on individual tables (4-5 per table, can reuse several times, perhaps the entire day)
plastic spoons etc
$4.92 plus waxed paper and supplies per batch of 36
Cookie sheets
Sturdy nonmetallic bowls (3.5 qt or larger)
Stirring spoons or spatulas (sturdy reusable standard kitchen ones) – 1 per table
Pots? Or just use from kitchen we are using?
Tray for holding cookies to be bagged
Sandwich bags, 1-2 per camper
Colorful cardstock or index cards
Set of colorful markers or Sharpies
1-2 pairs adult scissors
Butcher paper to cover tables
Waxed paper to cover cookie trays (1-2 rolls should be sufficient per team)
Lesson Plan / Talking Points
Hi campers, welcome to “Unbaking”! It’s a weird name, but we’re going to be making yummy cookies that we actually don’t even have to bake!
How many of you like fresh 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 homeless. We want to help make them feel special. We’re also going to make cards to go with the cookies, so we can make them smile, or brighten up their day.
At this camp we’re talking about serving food and kindness to ALL people, no matter what the color of their skin is, or how much money they have, or what clothes they’re wearing.
The people receiving the cookies we are making might be white, or black, they might be male or female, they might be adults who live alone, or who have children. They may have pets just like you do, or like the same foods you do, or have the same favorite colors as you. They like yummy treats just like we do! They are just like us, except they may not have very much money or a job or house. But God loves them just the same as he loves us. They’ve just had different circumstances in their lives.
See, people are kind of like cookies. When you make cookies you use the same ingredients but your cookies usually all turn out just a little bit different, from each other. They are special, and unique. They can be small or big, and different shapes, but they are all made the same way.
That’s just like us…because we are all made the same by God on the inside, but we each look different on the outside.
(Show an “ugly” cookie and a “pretty” cookie.) See, one of these may not look as good as the other one, but I can promise you, they are both good! And just like cookies, we all look different from each other – and sometimes people who are homeless may not get a chance to wear clean clothes or shower very often – but just because they may not look as nice doesn’t mean they aren’t just as good as you or I!
Now let’s make some cookies to share with these people who may need a little extra love!
(Once cookies are all made, you can move them to the card making station. Once cards are all made, you can move to the packing station. Put 2 cookies and a card in each baggie. Let kids sample one small cookie each.)