Objective
By the end of this lesson, the student will learn how to bake gingerbread cookies and assemble a gingerbread house, using their creativity to design and decorate it with fun edible decorations!
Materials and Prep
- Gingerbread cookie dough (store-bought or homemade)
- Cookie cutters (house shapes, trees, etc.)
- Rolling pin
- Baking sheet
- Parchment paper
- Royal icing (for assembling and decorating)
- Edible decorations (candy, sprinkles, etc.)
- Plate or board for the gingerbread house
Before the lesson, ensure the oven is preheated and the workspace is clean. Discuss safety around the oven and handling hot items.
Activities
- Baking the Gingerbread:
Start by rolling out the gingerbread dough with a rolling pin. Use cookie cutters to create the pieces of the house. Place the shapes on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper and bake them according to the recipe.
- Making Royal Icing:
While the cookies are baking, mix up some royal icing. This will be used to stick the pieces of the gingerbread house together and to decorate it. Let the student help measure and mix the ingredients!
- Assembling the Gingerbread House:
Once the cookies have cooled, use the royal icing to glue the pieces together. Encourage the student to be creative with how they want to build their house!
- Decorating the House:
Let the fun begin! Use the royal icing and edible decorations to design the gingerbread house. Encourage the student to think about colors and shapes as they decorate!
Talking Points
- "What do you think makes a house special? Let's make our gingerbread house special too!"
- "Can you smell the gingerbread? It smells yummy! What do you think will taste the best?"
- "Look at all these colors! How can we use them to make our house pretty?"
- "Do you think gingerbread houses can really stand up? Let's see how we can make it strong!"
- "What’s your favorite part of decorating? I can’t wait to see your ideas!"