Gingerbread Houses

Every year in Kindergarten we make Gingerbread houses.  This is the first year ever, where I have stopped to think about WHY we make Gingerbread houses?  Seriously, what is the purpose of a Gingerbread house, and why does it tie in with the holiday season?  Is it the Gingerbread Man’s fault?  Is it Hanzel and Gretel’s?  How does it tie in with Santa, and if you’re one of those religious types, how does it fit in with the birth of a baby in Bethlehem?

Upon a serious search of Wikipedia-Gingerbread, I’m really no better off.  My understanding is mostly that it is a European tradition, based loosely on the Hanzel and Gretel fairy tale (I knew the fantasy of having a house made out of candy would have to have some blame),  and that in some places, whole cities get together to build life like structures out of gingerbread!  How cool would that be?

So I went searching for pictures to inspire the kids with, and here is a European inspired chalet  with real looking snow on the roof!  There are many more cool examples over at: socialcafemag.com

The 25 of us, in Kindergarten (the teacher, a mom, a sister and an EA included) all decorated a small gingerbread house, using four graham crackers for the base, and two for the roof.

We didn’t hold a candle to this one found at gingerbread-house-heaven

Gingerbread House Assembly:

If you’ve never put your own gingerbread house together before, make sure you use the FOOL PROOF melted sugar technique, but be careful as the blisters that result from sugar burns are nasty!  Using basic white sugar and an electric frying pan, melt the sugar until it caramelizes and then all you have to do is dip the graham crackers in the caramelized sugar, and it cements the house together.

I found this assembly post on the Wilton site and with the exception of using melted sugar instead of royal icing, it’s fairly similar as the technique that I have used for the last 10 years, and my mom before me, for 35!

Check it out here.

While I was perusing over at Amazon, looking for those stressful last minute Christmas presents . . . I happened to come across a book that fits right into this topic!

It looks like the quinessential Gingerbread book for a guru in the making!  Maybe next year, I will have to challenge the Kindergartener’s to a gingerbread contest!  The book will come in extremely handy 🙂  I’m bound to win!  At least, I better!  They’re five after all.

Watch out kids, Cranbrook and the world!  I’m about to make me a Gingerbread house to impress.

It will have to be better than this one . . . it’s the one I made with the kids on Monday: be gentle on your comments…I decorated with a popsicle stick!