SAN LUIS – On Friday, Juntos 4-H and the 4-H Team held a cake decorating class open to the public at the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints San Luis branch.
The programs are run out the Colorado State University San Luis Valley Extension office in Monte Vista.
The class had about 25 participants, with excited children and family members including moms and dads. Dinner was provided.
The attendees of the class decorated three different types of cupcakes. One Cupcake was decorated to look like a Minion, another was decorated to look like a campfire, and another was decorated to look like a flower. Everyone that attended seemed to really enjoy the class.
The class is part of a focus that 4-H Juntos and regular 4-H provides to children, to help them acquire life skills and gain confidence which is part of what 4-H Juntos and regular 4-H is all about, according to organizers.
Instructors for the class were Juntos 4-H Specialist Carole Gurule, and 4-H instructor Mollie Wells.
Wells spoke to the class and instructed them on how to decorate each cupcake, using decorating cake tips, along with colored frostings, and a variety of candy.
The participants worked together and shared ideas and materials during the class.
Children used the cake tips, and learned how to maneuver the tips, to make assorted designs.
Gurule spoke to the class, about the cake decorating and about the 4-H program.
“I think everyone is having a good time tonight, and all of you are doing excellent with following directions and making your cupcakes, according to the examples we have shown you,” she said. “The program that Mollie runs, is traditional 4-H. That’s the membership where you join 4-H with a leader. Part of what I do for the Juntos 4-H is trying to get Latino families more involved with 4-H. There is a stigma behind 4-H that it’s just livestock but there is a lot of things you can do and get involved in besides livestock.”
Gurule explained that you can also learn skills while being in 4-H.
“There are so many different things and classes, like robotics, there’s Legos, there’s leadership, there’s metal working, small engines, leatherworking, wildlife, sports fishing. There’s fashion design, and clothing. We even have shooting sports,” she said.
Wells then explained that with the shooting sports kids learn how to shoot properly and even obtain their hunter’s safety license.
“We take you from beginning to end on the shooting skills. Aside from this, there are so many other programs within 4-H, as well, and classes that you can take. We really want to get the word out there that all of this is available for our youth to help them succeed,” Wells said.
Gurule said that 4-H Juntos is trying to make all kids feel welcome.
“We want to be inclusive, and we want to invite all children to participate. We have a fair that happens in the first week of August and we want to get everyone involved in that, too. We travel to different counties. We are here today, but we have families that we work with and kids in Conejos County, and just all over the Valley. There are projects we can help kids work on, there are skills we want to help teach, and we really want children to succeed in the program and in life, that’s why we do this,” she said.
Gurule and Wells ended the class by telling everyone to eat their cupcakes and enjoy what they created.
