Preheat oven to 325 degrees F.

Mix flour, baking soda, and salt with a fork in a small bowl.

In your stand mixer (or using a hand mixer and a large bowl) cream together the butter, sugars, and vanilla extract until they are, for want of a better word, creamy.

Add eggs and beat on medium low until fluffy.

Continue mixing while you add flour mixture SLOWLY. (this is a good part to let the kids help with.)

Carefully fold in chocolate chips. Don't let the kids dump them in while the mixer is running fast enough to pound them into chocolate crumbs. I don't know why I'm mentioning this, because it's not like they ask first, so just go with it.

Create one biggish cookie for each child to decorate. (This took about 1 scant quarter cup of dough each.) Drop the rest onto your cookie sheets in rounded teaspoonfulls, and bake 8-10 minutes or until the edges are crispy and the centers are lightly browned. I recommend you start the first pan while your chefs are decorating, that way maybe you can get them to eat cookies instead of your supplies... good luck