Experiential Learning

I’ve been in the FACS profession for a very long time and it seems to me that this “new” concept of Experiential Learning that I keep reading about has been something we’ve always done! We’ve always been about hands-on learning that focused on meaningful activities and putting theories into practice around real world and real life experiences! We’ve been developing students’ skills, critical thinking and preparing them for life from the get-go! So, if you’re not sure you are including experiential learning in your programs or courses, just take a look at the list below to see how you can do so or reaffirm that what you’ve been doing is a current pedagogical strategy and/or model.

Project ABC for ANY Topic

Sometimes you need a generic project that can be used as an individual student assignment when class sizes are small or a group project when class sizes are large. This is where Project ABC for ANY Topic comes in! Regardless of the topic you are teaching, this activity can be used as a review of materials or as an assessment of materials in ANY course, with any topic! It even includes a version that can be turned into a bulletin board or wall display afterwards.

Paper Towel Art & Child Development Mini-Lesson

The Paper Towel Art & Child Development Mini-Lesson is a great little activity to use as a beginning of the year or end of the year when you need a little something to fill in those odd days! This is a hand-on activity that can be used with middle or high school students with connections to child development or it can be done with littles where the older students are helping and observing what is actually taking place developmentally. Either way it is a very engaging, fun activity to do with students of all ages!

Food Safety & Sanitation

After talking with Angela Koster-Sorenson about her interactive food safety activities at a recent conference in Minnesota, I was excited to feature her! In this Food Safety & Sanitation unit, students learn the need for proper safety and sanitation practices in food preparation, food service and food storage to prevent food contamination, bacterial growth and illness in a variety of ways. Read on to learn more.

43 Minute Lab Series: Hash Brown Patty Pizza

After noticing continuous requests for lab suggestions that are doable in 43 minute class periods, I’ve decided to do a recurring series, featuring recipes that can
be completed from beginning to end in a 43 minute time frame. In some cases, longer recipes will broken into two day labs. When possible, I will include my pre-lab review questions that pertain specifically to the recipe. This helps to ensure that students are reading the recipe. It also allows me time to show any videos that may demonstrate the product or specific techniques. So, without further ado, I present the 43 Minute Lab Series: Hash Brown Patty Pizza!

Cards of Kindness

When is the last time you received a thank you card…an actual card? So many people want to say thank you via an email or text. On the one hand, it’s great they are acknowledging the thought, words or actions that prompted it, but on the other, it’s so nice to receive that actual card, especially if they took the time to write it or better yet, make it! Cards of Kindness explores whether thank you notes still matter before students learn how to write a thank you note and then actually construct one from a variety of recyclable items!