The HDS Foundation B.R.I.D.G.E.S. Program is always keeping things fun and exciting when it comes to our Community Based Instruction (CBI) activities. Now that we have been virtual, it’s important to keep our mission alive guiding the students to independent living while also keeping students engaged online. Today, the class participated in a virtual baking CBI where they created their own Cake in a Mug!
In order for students to be fully prepared for this activity, Facilitators Ms. Donna Mansolillo and Kathy Gormin-Gard separated individual bags that included the supplies and recipe for each student. The students drove by Cypress Bay High School and picked up their supplies last week.
When we all gathered online today, the facilitators made sure everyone had their supplies by holding up each item in the camera. Once that was confirmed, Ms. Donna started instructing the steps of the recipe. There were two different recipes: one for a chocolate mug cake and one for a vanilla mug cake. The students learned about the different measurements of a tablespoon (tbl) vs. teaspoon (tsp) and how important it was for them to make sure which was the right one! Students followed along exactly how they were supposed to. They were awesome listeners. It was intriguing to see how students were so particular when it came to the way they had to measure the ingredients. Ms. Mansolillo used cooking terms like “heaping” and “leveled” for students to understand whether it was too much or too little. I think students were being this careful because she had mentioned that if they didn’t put the right amount of each ingredient, their cake wouldn’t turn out the way it was supposed to.
As students finished adding the ingredients into the cup, and put their cup in the microwave, you can see the excitement on their face waiting to see how it would turn out. As they reached inside the microwave carefully picking up the mug, they caught a whiff of the delicious dessert. They immediately showed it on camera to confirm it was the way it was supposed to turn out. To top it all off, students added frosting and toppings of their choosing. At first, students were skeptical to try their cake in a mug. They even asked if it was edible! Once Ms. Mansolillo gave the “okay”, the class devoured their mini cake and enjoyed every single bite. At this point, they learned that even if the appearance didn’t look that great, it still tasted delicious!
Stay tuned for our next adventure! We will be posting our Halloween drive by experience soon! As always, it is super amazing to see the growth of the students throughout the year and through each CBI activity.
