A group of kindergarten students squatted in front of a table and rolled globs of dough into shells that encased spoonfuls of cherry filling.

Down the hall, other students cracked eggs into a mixing bowl and operated an electric mixer.

It was a Friday, which is cooking day for the six kindergarten classes at Church Street Elementary.

Students work together with those in other classes to make a special dish or dessert. They learn math skills as they measure ingredients and are sometimes introduced to foods they’ve never eaten.

Often the day’s course ties into lessons they’ve been studying during the previous week.

In the cherry dish example, the students had spent the week studying George Washington and America’s founding fathers. Two classes combined to make cherry tarts and discussed Washington and his cherry tree. Two others made a U.S.A. Flag Cake.

“Every Friday, the first question they ask is, ‘What are we cooking today?’” kindergarten teacher Robin Maynard said.

Past projects include rainbow cupcakes along with a discussion of colors, pink pancakes and a lesson about Valentine’s Day and Mississippi mud after a unit about the state. Students have also made pizza, macaroni and cheese, stone soup, apple sauce and cookies, among other meals. Sometimes parents will send a child’s favorite recipe.

“My favorite part is when you get to eat it,” said kindergartner Celie Rayburn, 6. “I like the cake because it has a picture of our flag on it.”

Students take turns helping cook. They learn about temperature and measuring cups and about fractions and dozens. They discuss steps and sequences.

After they cook, the students may return to their rooms and write a story about the process.

“We talk about measuring and fractions, and it is always related to the curriculum,” kindergarten teacher Martha Senter said.

In the week before they made the cherry tarts and U.S.A. cake, students made U.S. maps and created images using coins with president’s faces. They designed hats like the early presidents used to wear and learned about Abraham Lincoln storing important documents in his hat.

“We talked about George Washington and Abe Lincoln all week in social studies, and we are cooking at the end of our unit,” Senter said. “They just learn so much from this. It is a great way especially to learn math.”

Like Celie, kindergartners Mamie McGraw, 6, and Claire Kenney, 6, said their favorite part is getting to eat what they’ve made, particularly if it involves a sweet.

But the teachers say there is also an enjoyment from changing the routine. While making the tarts and the cake, students converged in the hallway in front of their classrooms.

“That is their high point, on Fridays,” kindergarten teacher Tiffany Lindsey said. “It gives them a chance to get out of their rooms, get a different setting and work with the other classes.”

Contact Chris Kieffer at (662) 678-1590 or chris.kieffer@djournal.com.