t’s amazing how technology can influence and change our perception and creativity of things, including sewing and fashion! If you teach sewing and/or fashion, below are some ideas of how technology has influenced or become a part of the art. At one time these ideas may have existed only in our imaginations and now they are reality! If you know of other ideas or resources available, please share via the comment section below.
Genetically Modified Foods, known as GMO’s, are foods that have had their genes altered through science or genetic engineering, which is monitored through the EPA, the FDA and the USDA. Did you know that many of the foods found in our grocery stores contain at least one ingredient that has been genetically modified? Should we be informed as consumers when this process is affecting the foods we eat? Should genetically modified foods be labeled? There is a huge debate surrounding this dispute. How do your students weigh in on this topic?
Lately there’s been a lot of commercials and public service announcements about gender stereotypes. Any teacher wanting to incorporate this topic into their curriculum would most likely want to choose the best ideas and pull together their own version of a lesson. With that in mind, I thought it would be a good idea to pull together a variety of resources I’ve found that I thought we be great to use when teaching about this topic. However, if you have a unique way of teaching this topic or just a great activity or project, I’d love for you to share it at Kim@familyconsumersciences.com
As a child I loved doing arts and crafts and still do today! As a parent I loved doing them with my own children! Crafts have hidden benefits that many don’t realize, not only in creating them, but also in teaching others how to create them. This lesson helps students break down their ideas into easy to understand steps using Snapguide technology to help them convey directions and visuals to create a flower!
There are so many herbs and spices out there that it’s hard to know where to start! In the past, I’ve had my students pick an herb or spice to research and present to the rest of the class. While that was okay, I wanted something a little more “spicy” (pardon my pun) and interactive. After wracking my brain for how I was going to do this, I put it aside for a while. Finally, after months of mulling this over in my head, the following activities and labs came to fruition and were worth the wait! I hope your students like it as much as mine did!
The bane of every parent or caregiver is the temper tantrum! Temper tantrums are a normal part of every child’s behavior during the terrible two’s and trying three’s! So, how do we handle them when they occur? Let students build an arsenal of techniques as they explore what’s appropriate and inappropriate in the lesson and activity below.
Thinking about teaching a unit on meat such as beef, pork or lamb and need ideas? Look no further! Below are resources that may be helpful to you in the planning of lessons. If you have additional ideas or resources, please share in the comment section below.
When teaching about families in crisis I like to specifically focus on a select few that often vary from one year to the next. quilt.blocks. However, I also like students to be aware that there are a multitude of crises that families can face throughout their lives. In order to make them aware, I like to have students select a crisis and find an article about it to read and summarize. After summarizing and connecting their feelings to the issue, I like to have them make a classroom quilt square depicting their selected crisis. When put together, it makes a statement about specific crises and draws others in to make them aware of issues facing families today.
This year my school decided to implement Professional Learning Communities, focusing on the Reading Apprenticeship model, in addition to using the Collins Writing program that was initiated last year. We have also been encouraged to be the “guide on the side” and have more student centered or directed learning taking place in our classrooms. With all of this in mind, my mission was to develop a couple of activities to try out the concepts in my child development class. A friend had just shared the Parenting magazine article on Hidden Hazards with me and it seemed like it would be a good fit. I’m glad to say I had very engaged students who were sharing, brainstorming, using technology and writing! Mission accomplished!
When I ask my students what they or their parents typically make for supper, I get a lot of similar responses. Most tell me they make and or eat whatever is easy, comes out of a box, comes out of the freezer, can be made in the microwave or picked up from a fast food restaurant on the way home. It’s so sad that convenience foods are so heavily relied on instead of preparing foods from scratch. This is one of the reasons I like teaching about casseroles! Not only are they easy to make, include a variety of foods and nutrients, but they can be made in advance, put in the freezer for future meals and convenience and because they get us in the kitchen cooking and using a lot of staple ingredients from the pantry. Way to go casseroles!
