West Coast students are trading their desks for the kitchen as they work through practical assessments for their culinary unit standards. Meanwhile, Jaxon is producing some tealight magic in the art space.
This hands-on training lets them earn formal credits while picking up real-world skills, from knife techniques to food safety. These skill based qualifications look great on a CV for local hospitality jobs.
Even better, these lessons go far beyond the classroom. Knowing how to cook helps young people build independence, plan budget-friendly meals, and eat well. They aren’t just ticking off assessment tasks; they’re learning practical skills that will stick with them for life.
Also, check out Jaxon’s art intructions for Tealight Stained Glass
Tealight Stained Glass
Jaxon created his own tealight stained glass art work by working through the procedure he was given.
Equipment:
Ping pong balls
Paint
A tray
Tealight candles
Toothpicks or skewer to pierce a hole in the finished stained glass ball
Steps to Follow:
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Put small amounts of the colours you would like to use in your tray (don’t mix)
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Add one ping pong ball.
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Hold the tray and roll the ball around in the paint, capturing the colours
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Once you have created your desired effect, carefully place the ball in another tray
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Repeat steps 2 – 4 for as many balls as you would like to create.
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Leave to dry (you might like to visit at your next lesson).
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When dry, use your skewer or toothpick to make a hole in the ping pong ball.
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Push it over the lamp part of the tealight candle.
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Find somewhere where you can make it dark to test the result.
Jude Eakin and Annette Jones
West Coast – kaiako
