Author: K.Graybill

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

Sodium Lesson

I’ve always viewed sodium as a “Catch 22” flavoring agent! It’s one of those minerals your body needs to function correctly, but if under or over consumed, serious health issues can result. So, when I teach this information to my students I try to get them to understand why it’s good, why it’s bad, where we find it and how to reduce it. Of course it’s always fun to follow it up with a low sodium lab and/or a unit on herbs and spices, teaching them how to prepare foods that taste good, with or without the “Catch 22” flavoring agent. So, encourage your students to put on their detective cap and investigate the amount of sodium in the foods they are consuming!

Zentangle Tile Cookies

It was the end of the school year and I had just finished a decorating unit where students had to create a shoe box room applying the elements of design. The art teacher had just finished a Zentangle project with her students. So, we had this idea to use the last couple of school days to merge our classes together to create Zentangle cookies using edible markers. This idea was based on a Michael’s project, but adapted to fit our needs. This was a fun, easy project that students had a good time designing and eating and one I would definitely do again!

Meeting Baby’s Needs: Post Cards from the Heart

Nearing the end of my unit on infants, I was in search of a creative idea that encompassed all that I had covered in regard to meeting the needs of babies. Below is the project I developed, assigned my students and then crossed my fingers. I’m never sure how a totally new project is going to be received, not to mention what kind of work I will get in return. Needless to say I should not have worried as my students, were not only completely engaged, but turned out some creative, well written post cards!

MyPlate Fairy Tale Flip Books for Children using Flip Snack

The goal of this assignment was for students to write a story or fairy tale that encouraged young children to eat all of the food groups on MyPlate. I really wanted this to be student driven so I introduced the project, shared an example and let the creativity flow. My role was to walk around, monitor progress, address any technology issues and answer questions as they came up. It was kind of like a flipped classroom, although I’ve never technically done this. Anyway, the results were very impressive and students were highly engaged for the entire project!

Water: The Overlooked Nutrient

Water is one of the six essential nutrients that is often overlooked and forgotten. Water is so important to our health and after viewing the Fed-Up documentary, I wanted to show my students why it’s a better alternative to their sugar laden soda and juices. This lesson can be used as a follow up to sugary beverages or it can be used as a stand alone lesson. Either way, the emphasis is on the role and importance of water in our diet, using Memes as a fun, humorous way to generate the message.

Food Preservation Ideas

Many think of canning or preserving foods as an old fashioned way of life or hobby, but with more people venturing into organic gardening, cooking and wanting or needing to know what’s in their foods, canning has definitely made it’s way back into this modern era! If you are thinking about teaching food preservation in your FACS classroom, below are some ideas that may be helpful! Also, check out our book giveaway below!

Community Service Ideas for the FACS Classroom

Once upon a time in my school we had what were called “Activity Periods” that altered the normal school schedule for one day a week, allowing students to join clubs that met during that period. Another teacher and I ran what we called “The Give Back Club” which was basically a club where we did community service projects that “gave back” to the community. Those activity periods gave way to more class time due to state testing long ago, but I still like to involve my students in community service projects throughout the year, depending on the topics, lessons and units we are covering. Below are a variety of easy, inexpensive projects that students can create to help give back to their communities. If you have any other suggestions, please let me know in the comment section below.

Kitchen Safety Chart for Kids

Teach about kitchen safety? Who doesn’t need a visual reminder from time to time of how to be safe in the kitchen, especially when working with younger students? This chart was created and shared by middle school FACS teacher, Debbie Madson, from Virginia.

Measuring Abbreviations & Equivalencies Reinforcement Activities

I’ve had several requests for ideas on how to teach common measuring abbreviation and equivalency basics so I thought I’d throw my ideas into the ring. Recently, I discovered this review game called Grudgeball which is a fun and fiercely competitive game and I knew I had to try it with my students. Combined with other ideas I use, I found it to be a very successful way to reinforce students’ measuring abbreviation and equivalency knowledge and the quiz scores proved it! Certainly,others have some awesome, interactive ways to teach this topic so I encourage you to share with us so we all can benefit from them in the comment section below.

Vygotsky’s Learning Theory & Instructional Videos

The first time I ever heard of Lev Vygotsky’s theory of cognitive development, I wondered how I would ever teach it to my child development class and have it make sense. Initially, it was a very simple lesson. Over the years it has evolved, but still I felt it needed something. Then, last year Laurie Lee, a FACS teacher from Glasgow High School in Glasgow, Missouri shared an idea she had on teaching preschool aged children how to do things by having her students create instructional videos. Immediately, the light bulb went off in my head and I knew I could tie this to Lev Vygotsky’s theory. So, below you will find the merging of these two lessons. Laurie says she and her classes loved this activity, both because the videos turned out great and anytime students have an opportunity to work with the preschool children it’s always a lot of fun!