The 5 Second Rule Game is a must have for my classroom! Not only can the game be played as is, but it’s easy to adapt to FACS content or even just use the time for quick, fun reviews. The rules pretty much stay the same for the “FACS: 5 Second Rule Games” which engage, challenge and build relationships as students compete against each other in this fun adaptation!
If you teach lessons on different meats or you teach about shopping and consumer skills or you teach both, this Talking Points: Cost per Serving vs Price per Pound activity may be a good option for you. This activity could easily be incorporated as a stand alone lesson or an extension activity or even a sub plan when you know you will be out, but want students to have a meaningful assignment.
Ever wonder how many parents over the years have heard the phrase “I’m Bored!” during the summer months from their child or children? In this “Project: I’m Bored!”,
students research and curate activities to engage children of all age groups to not only prevent boredom, but help promote the developmental areas (PIES). This project is a great end of the year assignment or could even be used as a project for a substitute if you have to be out for day or two! Be sure to read on to learn more…
Not only is May designated as Mental Health Awareness month, but for many schools it’s also the end of the school year! As the year winds down, students get
antsy and yearn to be outdoors as the weather gets nice. Why not combine the two by getting students outside to create sidewalk art that celebrates mental health awareness? Continue reading Mental Health Awareness: Chalk the Walks to learn more!
Did you know there are six types of picky eaters? I think we’ve all been exposed to at least one of them in our classrooms, especially when trying foods prepared in
the lab! So, what’s a parent to do when they have a picky eater? This Picky Eaters lesson has student groups exploring the six types and perform skits as they present the information on why it occurs and what parents can do.
Television is so different today compared to when I was young! Back in the day, we had one tv that got three major network channels and one PBS station for free. Cable was available in certain areas (not rural) at a cost. Television services have come a long way! Now, there are so many options to choose from and being able to sort it all out requires some level of comparison and analysis. This On Your Own: Investigating Streaming Services project requires students to do just that given specific budget parameters. This real world activity shows what many of them take for granted because their parents are paying the bill and they have no idea what’s involved!
Several years ago I learned about the teaching strategy called Hexagonal Thinking. There are many variations on how to utilize the concept in class, but the one I want to focus on is the Hexagonal Keyword Links for FACS Content. This is a great brainstorm, review or assessment activity to use with your students to see how they apply the information related to topics you are covering. Read on to see how Hexagonal Keyword Links works and all of the ready to use examples. As always, if you have ideas for others, please let me know.
Put the initial learning in the hands of your students with this Knife Skills Interactive assignment. The entire assignment is not only digital, but breaks down important knife information by topic and section. I used this with my upper level students in my foods class. For many, it was a review of information they had learned in junior high or other courses of mine. However, for those students who were new to the school or I didn’t have me in junior high, it gave them all of the basics about knives they needed before we headed to the kitchen to practice.
Problem based learning projects are a great way to engage your students and incorporate some rigor. How, you ask? Problem based learning projects incorporate
many, and sometimes all of the the 4 C’s; Critical Thinking, Communication, Collaboration and Creativity. The Family Medical Leave Work Dilemma takes a real world problem inspired by a Washington Post article and provides just enough information for students to come up with a viable solution. If you’ve ever wanted to try problem based learning in your family or parenting classes, why not start with this one?
Canned soup may be viewed as a quick and easy meal, albeit boring, generic, and bland. However, who says that canned soup has to be eaten as is? With a bit of creativity and a few extra ingredients, possibilities are endless when it comes to kicking up a little ‘ole can of soup. Why not show your students how to do this by assigning them the Canned Soup Challenge and then let them loose in the kitchen? To round it out, bring in judges to taste and evaluate their final products.
