Life Skills Bread Baking Program sponsored by King Arthur Flour and the McGee FCS Department

For more information, see the letter sent home to students by McGee FCS Educators.

Thursday, April 10, 2008, Assemblies/Demonstrations for grades 6 & 7 by Life Skill Instructor Paula Gray from King Arthur Flour and volunteer McGee student assistants

Friday after school - Sunday, April 11 - 13 – Student participants bake two loaves of bread at home using supplies donated by King Arthur Flour, enjoy one loaf with their family and prepare the other for donation to community organizations.

Monday, April 14 – Distribution of the Donated Loaves

The goals of the Life Skills Baking Program are for students to understand

• how to make bread learning how it looks, feels, and tastes

• the science of bread

• why bread is significant both nutritionally and culturally.

After learning how to make bread at the school, students will prepare two loaves of bread at home during the weekend using a recipe and supplies donated by King Arthur Flour in bags donated by Rogers Market. They will eat one loaf with their families and share the second with their community by donating it to local service organizations. The loaves will be brought to school on Monday and distributed to the Salvation Army, the Prudence Crandall Shelter of New Britain, Bread for Life Program in Southington, senior citizens of Berlin living in the senior housing complexes, the Charlie Company, 1st Battalion, 25th Marines, 4th Marine Division headquartered Plainville that is on maneuvers over the weekend.

“Human beings have been baking bread for some 10,000 years,” said King Arthur Board of Trustees Chairman Frank Sands, “but these days, fewer people are baking at home, so the tradition isn’t being handed down. We want to pass on this traditional life skill to the next generation, so they can nourish themselves with healthy home-baked bread for the rest of their lives.”