Author: K.Graybill

Kim Graybill is a veteran Family and Consumer Science teacher who teaches both middle and high school in Pennsylvania.

Aging in Place

Growing older is inevitable and most older adults want to stay in their homes and be as independent as possible! This is called Aging in Place and in order for older adults to be able to do this successfully, they need to make sure their homes are safe. Read on to learn more about this topic and explore potential home safety options.

Babies & Microplastics

Parents today have a lot of things to be concerned about when it comes to keeping their children safe. One of the latest safety concerns is around microplastics. After reading about this topic, I immediately thought that Babies & Microplastics would be a relevant lesson to include when teaching about infant and toddler safety in child development, parenting or even health classes.

Calories & Exercise Lesson

I’m a huge fan of hands-on activities for a variety of reasons! One of my favorites involves hexagonal thinking blocks. Not only does it provide students with engagement, but it also allows them to communicate, collaborate and think critically when working with the blocks. If you’d like to give this a try, check out the Calories & Exercise Lesson below.

Child Development Dilemma: To Paint or Not to Paint?

Messy play was not encouraged in our household when I was a child! However, when I had my own children, it occurred on a regular basis, for a variety of reasons! In this Child Development Dilemma: To Paint or Not to Paint?, students are researching the art medium of finger paints as it related to young children. So if you’re looking for an engaging, hands-on lesson with activities, be sure to check this one out!

Phone Notifications: Distraction vs Focus

We live in an age of distraction, especially with all of the notifications we receive on our personal devices such as phones and watches! These distractions are taking place at home, in school, and at the workplace preventing us from giving our full attention to people, tasks and even our surroundings. While some schools have gone to a no cell phone policy, many have not. This Phone Notifications: Distraction vs Focus lesson explores this problem using a variety of simulations and then aims to share strategies to minimize them.

Hands-On Textiles: Needle Felting

You’ve probably heard about needle felting, maybe even tried it. However, have you ever considered teaching the art to your students?  When I learned this was being taught to high school students, I had to learn more. So, let me introduce you to Shaelin Nilsen of Utah! She created these “Hands-On Textiles: Needle Felting resources” so you, too, can help your students learn about non-woven textiles and wool fiber while creating a simple little project!

Absent, But Present, Parenting Lesson

All of us have heard about, if not taught about, the various parenting styles. One emerging parenting style that is raising concern is the “Absent, But Present Parent”. In this Absent, But Present, Parenting Lesson, students will learn more about this type of parenting, the causes, the effects on children and create possible solutions to remedy it in order to strengthen the parent-child relationship.

Sandwiches Lesson & Lab: UPDATED

I can’t believe that thirteen years has gone by since I shared my first sandwich lesson!  I guess the saying is true that “time flies when you’re having fun”!  Well since August is National Sandwich month, I thought it was high time that this lesson got a makeover!  As you read through Sandwiches Lesson & Lab: Updated, you will see that some core information about sandwiches never changes, but how it’s presented and the activities and labs used has!

6-1 Grocery Shopping Method

The 6-1 Grocery Shopping Method is a simple, effective way to ensure balanced and nutritious meals while managing your budget, especially with rising food prices! It’s a flexible system that works for both families and individuals, reducing time spent in the grocery store and helping you spend less while still making healthy choices. Read on to see how you can use this to your students.

Ways to Form Groups

A lot of teaching strategies require students to be in small groups. That can mean partners, triads, groups of 4 or even more depending on the activity or assignment. Sometimes you want students to create their own groups and sometimes you don’t. Sometimes you want those groups to be random and sometimes you want them to appear random even though you’ve secretly formed the groups ahead of time. In Ways to Form Groups, you’ll find a variety of different ways to form and organize groups from the planned to the random!