As the end of the year gets closer, more opportunities are coming to the girls and boys in the life skills classroom. They have begun cooking! They had a sneak peek back in December when they made a crock pot of wassail, a traditional Christmas drink.

The lifeskills group enjoyed it so much that they went back to cooking last week. This time they experimented with a cake and tried to make it as easy as possible. They have found lots of recipes that only require 3 ingredients.

“I really want them to do as much as possible for themselves,” LifeskillsTeacher Katie Villarreal said. “They need to be independent; the real world is coming soon.”

As for everything leading up to the cooking, the class has been well prepared. They look up the recipes on Pinterest and make sure to follow every instruction.

“Datreal and Justin are always polite and take lots of initiative,” Villarreal said.

They are always the first to volunteer and help one another, according to aide Percillar Reed. Some even surprised their teachers as to how much they know and have been taught at home.

Not only does cooking promote independence but it also helps with their math skills. They spend lots of time converting measurements and measuring amounts of ingredients.

“It was very delicious; I had to get their recipe,” secretary Beverly Cummings said. “I hope they make the wassail again next year.”

Villarreal said she does hope to include more cooking for the class next year, since they enjoyed it and learned from it this year. She and Reed said they saw lots of teamwork and effort put into their projects, so they plan to continue this activity.

“They really enjoyed it and we couldn’t wait to eat our treats,” Reed said. “I love seeing them try to be healthy and help one another.”

Not only do the students enjoy it but so does the faculty. According to secretary Amanda Whittlesey, she loves it when they cook and can’t wait to see what they will make next.

“We’re talking about making eggs and pancakes next,” Villarreal said. “I hope they keep learning and enjoy the process.”