Looking for a guilt free, low calorie, alternative to pasta that will surprise your taste-buds? Look no more! Spaghetti squash is one of those best kept secrets that needs to be shared! Not only is it easy to prepare, but versatile too. So what are you waiting for? Swap out that pasta for spaghetti squash and encourage your students and their families to try experiment and try something NEW.
Thinking about some new ideas for middle school labs got me to thinking about a lab I did early in my teaching career when I taught a foreign foods cooking class. At the time we were studying French cuisine and the lab was making homemade CREPES. Initially I was intimidated by crepes because they looked too difficult and fancy, but after working through some demonstrations with my students I found they really were a lot easier to prepare than they looked! Crepes are basically really thin, delicate pancakes filled with a sweet or savory filling. Since I know teenagers love desserts and chocolate is a favorite filling, I thought I would explore a recipe that would combine the two popular ingredients along with fruit and work a creative crepe lab back into the curriculum.
This idea came about because I was looking for an alternate way to assess my students about their knowledge of a particular unit or topic besides administering a test. Instead, I developed a partner or small group interactive, cooperative based…
It’s been said that the only thing that is constant in life is “change”. Our world is constantly changing and families are not insulated from the changes that occur in the society in which they live. One thing that seems…
School is wrapping up and I’m sure if you’re like most of us you have several end of the year class or faculty picnics to attend. Chances are, hot dogs and hamburgers will be served at these events. Ever thought about having your culinary students make homemade buns for these events? What a great way to get a lesson sponsored!
It’s hard to escape the children’s toy lesson without addressing the prevalence of Apps for Smart phones and tablets as the new toys for toddlers. Give it just a couple of years and this lesson will be obsolete as the students you’ll be teaching grew up playing more with Apps than physical toys and they will have no idea why that may be a problem. Regardless of your bias, we need to teach tomorrow’s child care workers & parents how to evaluate Apps that are good for children from the ones that are fluff.
High school students can be know-it-alls especially those who cook at home. However, this lab seems to keep everyone interested as it is rare to find a student, or a cook for that matter, that actually knows how to butcher a chicken. Of course some students are resistant to having to touch a raw chicken however with the right student pairing I’ve had luck keeping everyone engaged.
The winner of the February give away is this lesson from Jessica Uplinger, a Family Consumer Science teacher from Ohio. In her lesson, students learn how important goals are and learn to make their own.
One of my favorite things to do with students are taste tests. They absolutely love it if they are brave enough to give it a try. So many students never get the chance to try different fruits unless their parents expose them to them. Bring on this lesson that will be sure to be some students’ favorite.
This lesson is all about cooking potatoes four different ways–broiled, fried, mashed, and skins. Each lab group cooks up a russet potato and a sweet potato. This lesson includes potato lab questions to do during the down time using Food…
