The Culmination of our Southwestern Studies!

No words to describe how proud I am for the kids' creativity and hard work on these adobe style gingerbread houses.

They picked out their designs from a picture search online, they cut and measured their template pieces,  they figured out the total area of all the pieces. Then with a lot of help from yours truly,  we made two huge batches of gingerbread dough and a huge batch of royal icing.    The kitchen (ok the entire first floor of our house) was a complete mess but well worth the outcome.

The most difficult part of this project is "gluing" the pieces together with the royal icing.   I feel badly as I was swearing up a storm trying to keep the walls from falling down.   We finally propped them up with glasses and I guarded the table with my life for the hour or so that the icing needed to dry

Lauren and her best friend, Carolina, made some amazing extras for their house.   I love the seguaro cactus!   They also made a car, a person and a bbq grill!  

  

We were supposed to coat the gingerbread with a reddish shade of frosting but when we went to the food coloring box,  the red was gone!   Instead we used some hibicus powder which was supposed to be burgundy but it came out purple - oh well!  It was the perfect shade for two little girlie girls.

It is interesting how Zach was very interested in the structural details of his house.    The girls were so interested in decorating and accessories!  

Zach gave his little gingerbread man a sombrero!    He also made a gingerbread pot and filled it with a small doughnut hole covered in green frosting for a decorative catcus plant.  The ceiling logs are cut pieces of black licorice.

This was a fun but exhausting project!  I like that the materials are edible. I think I only spent about $8 total on the supplies.  Eco-friendly and budget friendly project that incorporates STEM learning and social studies.

(Now this momma needs a glass of wine and a hot bath!)