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.

Food & Nutrition

• Cooking Labs: Students prepare foods/meals applying the skills and techniques learned in class. Examples: knife skills, cooking methods, ingredient functions, safety and sanitation. Students also taste and evaluate their finished products.
• Meal Planning Projects: Students plan meals based on dietary needs, budget allocations, specific age groups and food groups.
• Cost Analysis: Students compare homemade versions of foods to their store bought equivalents, analyzing taste, time and money
• Cooking Competitions & Simulations: Students create a themed food or dish under pressure (money and/or time constraints) and then pitch/present their creations to a panel of judges for evaluation and critique just like the television shows.

Child Development

• Role Playing Scenarios: Students role play or act out a variety of parenting situations or teaching experiences to their peers.
• Parenting Tool Box: Students create strategies and resources to help parents with a variety of dilemmas.
• Toy & Game Analysis: Playing with a variety of toys and games, evaluating them for safety, age appropriateness and developmental benefits.
• Day Care & Preschool Labs & Simulations: Students run in-school day care programs or they participate in local programs learning the various jobs and responsibilities involved. Preschool labs can be in-school programs such as Circle Time sessions or Kindergarten classes or even local programs where students are acting as the “teacher” creating and implementing the actual lessons and/or activities.

Housing & Interior Design

• Design Challenges: Students create a mood board or collage board for a specific room based on the elements and principles of design.
• Shoebox Rooms: Students create an actual room display or layout in a shoebox depicting the elements and/or principles of design.
• Recreate the Room Design on a Budget: Students design a room and calculate the cost of it and then recreate the look for a fraction of the cost.
• Housing Styles: Students learn about different housing styles and then recreate them using a variety of materials.

Fashion & Textiles

• Sewing Labs: Through basic hand and machine sewing, students construct garments and accessories.
• Fabric Analysis: Students test and learn about various types of fabrics through experiments as well as their best use(s).
• Upcycling Projects: Students give new life to old clothing by altering it and turning it into something new and/or more practical.

Financial Literacy

• Budget Scenarios: Students must research and make choices for the best product using the budget and scenario parameters provided.
• Checking Account Simulations: Students learn to write checks, keep a check register, read a statement and balance their checkbook.
• Stock Market & Investment Simulations: Through online games such as STAX and the Stock Market Game, students learn all about investing their money.
• Tax Simulations: Students learn how to do their own taxes via mock simulations.