Sweet smells wafting in the hallways

It is an unwritten rule that parents are expected to volunteer in their kids kindergarten class at some point during the school year.  While some parents feel fine not participating, I do not.  Volunteering at my son's school is certainly something I am more than happy to do.  I just needed to figure out what would be the best thing to help with.  I needed something that would have a low dialogue requirement and I could get translated (from my husband) in advance.

After looking at all the options available,  I decided I would help bake cookies with my son's class.  It sounded fun and I bake a lot of cookies, so the activity would be pretty intuitive.  A few days ago, the teacher gave me a schedule and details of expectations that I was able to take home and discuss with my husband.  So, this morning I was ready to go and help the kids have a fun activity.

My son was over the moon that I was coming to his classroom to volunteer.  He was so proud to introduce me to his classmates (even though they all knew who I was).

As instructed, I donned my apron, bandana, and mask.  I, and another mother, helped the kids put on their aprons and bandanas.  They were so cute as they danced around in excitement.

We cut the prepared cookie dough into small discs and put two on a piece of foil for each child.  The kids, sitting in their seats, shaped the dough however they saw fit.  Some left the dough in circles.  Other kids pressed the dough flat or into shapes like hearts, stars, or even cat faces.  Next they decorated the cookies with mini chocolate chips and tiny gummies.  There were various degrees of artistic expression.  Some of the kids got really into the project.

When they were done with their two cookies, they would call us over and we would take their 2 cookies and give them 2 more pieces of dough.

The dough didn't last long as the kids got faster and faster at decorating their cookies.  When it was all gone, it was time to start baking.  There was one small electric oven in the classroom, as well as 2 more in the teacher's lounge.  I was stationed at the oven in the classroom.  The kids brought chairs to watch the cookies baking.  They chatted excitedly, especially when the sweet smell started wafting around the room.

Once they were done baking, I took the warm cookies to the teacher's lounge.  We washed dishes and prepared the cookies for distribution.  The kid's in my son's class would get to enjoy one of their cookies after lunch.  Then they would take some to another class to share.

I think my volunteer experience at my son's school would have been the same regardless of being in the US or Japan.  It was just a fun time helping out in the classroom.  Even though I was very nervous beforehand, it turned out great and everyone had a lovely time.