Gingerbread

For our homeschooling co-op this year we decided to try something new. Instead of breaking the year into three units, we would break it into two slightly longer ones, with a break in the middle. We planned that the break would fall during Christmas and New Years. After taking those three weeks off half the co-op decided to do 5 or 6 weeks of field trips, while my part of the group decided to do a unit on Gingerbread Houses.

We've spent many weeks having classes about architecture, folk and tall tales, angles and how to use a protractor, foundations and structural support. Now all 6 kids have now designed their own gingerbread houses, built models and are ready to build and decorate their buildings.

Yesterday we made soap (that was the other teacher and went along with a folk tale they had read), and cut all the pattern pieces out of gingerbread. I had made 3 batches of dough, and was worried it wouldn't be enough, so I had my two girls go last. It wasn't enough and I had to make more dough and help one of them cut and bake today.

Of course, another batch of dough was plenty for her house pieces and we had a lot left...



So I let her open up the cookie cutters she had gotten for Christmas (a barrel of 101) and she got to make cookies for dessert tonight. Do you like her Valentine theme?



Wish me luck, next week, on Valentine Day, the 6 co-op kids will put together their houses and hopefully, after lunch, get to decorate them. If they remain standing then maybe I'll take some pictures. Luckily I won't be the only adult helping them...