Many schools are encouraging their students to read beyond the English class. This can easily be done in the FACS classroom as there are so many great books that can be incorporated into the various content areas of family consumer sciences. Below you will find a compiled list of books recommended by content area. If you have any additional “reads” that you use in your FACS classroom that should be included, please add them in the comment section below.
Emotions! We all have them, we all experience them, especially toddlers! So how can we teach our students about toddler emotions in a fun, creative way? Look below to see my attempt at a fun, interactive lesson plan and activities, including a clip from the hit movie “Inside Out”.
Many would describe toddlers as terrible, trying, impatient, busy, curious, picky and emotional! While at times those descriptions may be true…toddlerhood (ages 1-3) is all about being curious and becoming independent. It includes a colorful set of changes (especially emotionally) that differ from any other time in life. In order to fully understand the roller coaster range of abilities and emotions these little people experience, we need to put ourselves in their shoes. The lesson and activities in this unit hopefully give your students better insight as to why these little people react the way they do during this challenging, but fun phase of life!
You may ask yourself “How does Halloween fit into the FACS classroom?”, but actually there are a variety of ways and areas you can incorporate this event or holiday into your classes. If you have any additional ideas after perusing the list below, please share via the “Be A Part” tab above or the comment section below. Happy Halloween!
You’re babysitting or you’re a parent and you’ve got a misbehaving child or children on your hands. What’s the best method to handle the situation; guidance or discipline? Sometimes students have a difficult time knowing the best way to handle a misbehaving child. So, this game was created by Laura Vaske of Linn-Mar HIgh School in Marion, Iowa because she wanted her students to be able to think about when to apply certain techniques in misbehaving situations. She also wanted them to think about more than just HOW to implement the technique and more about WHEN to implement a technique. So, check out her game and give it a try the next time you’re teaching about guidance and discipline!
When teaching about environmental birth defects, I like to address a 100% preventable, but 100% irreversible birth defect known as fetal alcohol spectrum disorder (FASD). Students learn about FASD by participating in a variety of interactive activities.
Sometimes a teacher needs a variety of lessons and activities to choose from relating to the topics taught in the curriculum for different reasons. Sometimes, it’s because you just want to freshen up your plans or because the amount of time you have to teach something changes. Sometimes, it’s because new resources become available that you “just have to implement”. Sometimes, it’s because you need variety due to the personalities and dynamics of a class. Regardless of the reason, I thought I would share a new little project that I created and did with my Child Development students based on the child abuse topic: shaken baby syndrome.
Nearing the end of my unit on infants, I was in search of a creative idea that encompassed all that I had covered in regard to meeting the needs of babies. Below is the project I developed, assigned my students and then crossed my fingers. I’m never sure how a totally new project is going to be received, not to mention what kind of work I will get in return. Needless to say I should not have worried as my students, were not only completely engaged, but turned out some creative, well written post cards!
The goal of this assignment was for students to write a story or fairy tale that encouraged young children to eat all of the food groups on MyPlate. I really wanted this to be student driven so I introduced the project, shared an example and let the creativity flow. My role was to walk around, monitor progress, address any technology issues and answer questions as they came up. It was kind of like a flipped classroom, although I’ve never technically done this. Anyway, the results were very impressive and students were highly engaged for the entire project!
Once upon a time in my school we had what were called “Activity Periods” that altered the normal school schedule for one day a week, allowing students to join clubs that met during that period. Another teacher and I ran what we called “The Give Back Club” which was basically a club where we did community service projects that “gave back” to the community. Those activity periods gave way to more class time due to state testing long ago, but I still like to involve my students in community service projects throughout the year, depending on the topics, lessons and units we are covering. Below are a variety of easy, inexpensive projects that students can create to help give back to their communities. If you have any other suggestions, please let me know in the comment section below.
