I am always keeping my eyes open for cute activities for my kids. Especially ones that will keep their interest and stimulate them. It’s not always easy now that my son is in school full time, but when Panera Bread reached out to me to try out their Bakers In Training Program I knew I had to do it. All I had to do was find a group of kids interested in joining us and Panera Bread would do the rest!

Bakers In Training is a fun-filled culinary experience designed for kids ages 5–12, where Panera Bread will let them try their hand at the craft of bread making by stretching and scoring French baguettes, decorating their own cookie and icing a cinnamon roll with tips from the managers. As the B.I.T await their delicious items to bake, the café managers will lead them on a tour of the bakery and show them the daily operations. At the end of the tour, each child will take home the items they baked and a Panera Bread Badge signifying their completion of the program.

Made for groups of 10–15, this is a great activity for classes, scout groups and birthday parties. While registration is normally $20 per child, the Bakers-in-Training program at Panera Bread locations owned by Doherty Enterprises on Long Island, Staten Island, Queens and Brooklyn are offered at no cost!

The classes run approximately 45 minutes to one hour and must be scheduled at least six weeks in advance by inquiring with a Panera Bread manager. Classes are available with start times between2:00PM-4:30PM.

Our group of 10 had a blast making the bread and decorating the cookies! The kids were basically 5 and 6 year old boys and it was a nutty experience. I give the instructor credit for keeping the group on task! The best part was taking that delicious bread home! So yummy! The most important thing I took away was that they all laughed, participated and had a great time doing all of the activities.

If you are interested in booking your group, here are the FREE locations!

Long Island include: Bay Shore, Bohemia, Bridgehampton, Carle Place, East Meadow, East Northport, Farmingdale, Garden City, Hauppauge, Hampton Bays, Hicksville, Huntington Station, Huntington Village, Island Park, Lake Grove, Lake Ronkonkoma, Lawrence, Little Neck, Massapequa, Mineola, New Hyde Park, North Babylon, Plainview, Port Jefferson, Riverhead, Rockville Centre, Syosset, Valley Stream and West Babylon. In Brooklyn include: Adams Street, Gateway Center and Kings Plaza. Queens locations include: Bayside, Glendale, Long Island City and Rego Park. Staten Island locations include: South Shore Commons and Staten Island Mall.

 You can find more information on the Bakers-in-training program, by clicking here. You won’t be sorry!