Chocolate Class for kids ?

[pjm333]

I forgot I volunteered for a chocolate class for kids age 8 to 12 yrs old for 25 children, anyone have any ideas on what to make with the children ? I was going to show some chocolate decorations, cake pops & tuxedo strawberries. Any ideas would be greatly appreciated. Thanks ! 

[Tri2Cook]

Hopefully Kerry Beal will see this in time for it to help you. I think she does that sort of thing fairly often so I'm sure she has tons of ideas.

[FrogPrincesse]

Cupcakes! Kids always love them and it's fun decorating them.

[ChocoMom]

 

 

When I've done chocolates classes, I found that that particular age group does a great job with transfer sheets in molds, and fingerpainting dome molds.   (Most, but not all, younger kids don't have a huge attention span, and just want to eat it.  So, for them, I do the animal chocolate molds and use confectionery coating.)  

 For ganache, I always pull a "Martha Stewart" and have batches made a day before. I do run the kids through the ganache process, letting them do all the work. I explain step by step not only the "what", but the "why".   They get to decorate, cast, fill and back off the molds. If we have extra couverture left, then we dip berries. =) 

 

Are they coming to you, or are you going to them?   Either way, you can use a small tempering machine.  Though, if you have the EZ Temper - that will move things along quickly. 

 

 

 

[Kerry Beal]

I'm just trying to remember what Anna and I did with a large group of kids last time - I remember thinking I was going to try to use less chocolate the next time around!

 

I think I took some Ikea silicone ice cube molds and we made some solid pieces in those - dipping cookies, licorice, sour candies makes kids happy.

 

Wait - found my notes - strawberries, ikea molds (drizzled with dark, filled with milk), kid style barks and balloon containers.

 

 

[pjm333]

Thanks everyone for your help, I did chocolate strawberries, cake pops, chocolate cigarettes and showed them how to temper chocolate. Thanks again !

[keychris]

Bit late to the party, but I've always had great success making a whole bunch of eggs and spheres ahead of time and then letting the kids make their own chocolate sculptures, then decorate by piping.

[AnythingButPlainChocolate]

Too late, I know, but I always find piping chocolate lollies and providing sprinkles or jelly sweets works for kids from 3-30! For the younger ones I also decorate biscuits (cookies) and I've made marshmallow snowmen at Christmas time after allowing them to do the dipping.

[pjm333]

Keychris & Anything, thanks for your help !