Had I asked students years ago if they cooked much with cast iron, I would have gotten a lot of positive responses. Today, not so much! Because many students don’t have this experience, I decided to teach them about “Cast Iron Cooking” so they could see the similarities and differences to regular cookware as well as the variety of foods that could be prepared with it.
Looking to add a little cultural diversity into your classes? The DÃa de Muertos Activities will help you plan for November 1st. The activities presented represent a variety of different ways to introduce and teach about this special day using both technology and hands-on methods. Choose what will work best for your students and your courses!
Do your students ever appear to be unorganized in the kitchen? Do they lack time management skills because they are uncertain as to what to do? Do they ever act as though they’ve never read a recipe or set foot in a kitchen? If any or all of the above sound familiar, then this Mise en Place Lesson may be helpful in getting students more organized so they can manage time more effectively and become more confident in the kitchen!
For many of us, our pets become part of our family and we want to love on them by giving them toys and treats! Sadly, there are many pets in need of love especially at organizations such as the SPCA, Rescue Pet Centers, and Best Friends centers. Pet Based Service Projects can be creatively included in your curriculum via labs, sewing or non-sewing projects and even repurpose projects to help those organziations. Read on to see a variety of ways to do this on the cheap!
If you teach a culinary foods class, you no doubt include a unit on grains. While there are a lot of options for working with grains, the material can be a bit dry to teach. Thanks to Nebraska FACS teacher, Sarah Smith, this doesn’t need to be the case. Her “Cooking with Grains” is an interactive lesson you will want to try with your students!
When teaching basic kitchen skills, one of the first lessons I teach is kitchen safety. To me, kitchen safety is primarily about common sense so I don’t spend a ton of time on it, but emphasize it frequently throughout the course and labs. The “Kitchen Safety Categories & Activities” is one that can be used in both a digital drag & drop style or hand’s on cut & paste style depending on your situation.
When you think of food preservation, you might automatically think about canning. However, there is so much more to it, and thanks to Anna Hall of Ohio for sharing her Food Preservation Unit, you can find out! This engaging food preservation unit covers five days and explores various methods such as frozen, dried and canned foods as well as the changes throughout history. The unit culminates with students actually canning pickles.
Studies show that students who actually engage with hands-on learning are more likely to remember information, stay focused and increase brain activity! Tarsia Puzzles for Foods Class are a great way for students manipulate pieces to review and/or apply content. Included below are several that I created for use with all age groups. What ways can you think to use Tarsia Puzzles?
If you tuned into the website last week, you found the Breakfast Lesson: Part I featuring the Rule of 3. Today’s post features the corresponding Bloomin’ Garden Toast Breakfast Lab: Part II. This lab not only follows the rule of 3, but incorporates knife skills and creativity all within a 43 minute period!
Who knew there could be so much information out there to teach about breakfast, but there is! I guess when you’re deemed the “most important meal of the day,” there’s a lot to learn and/or teach! In this “Breakfast Lesson: Part I,” the theory behind why breakfast matters and how to create a healthy breakfast will be shared. A lab applying the information will be shared in Part II, so you’ll have to stay tuned!
