Category: Parenting

Differently Abled Children & Toys

While I teach lessons on birth defects early in the year when talking about pregnancy, I like to spend more time at the end of the year in a special topics unit teaching about special needs children. This is one of those areas that I love to teach and students really need to be more aware and understanding about because they never know if this will be something that will affect them as future parents or with a family member or something they will need to know because of job or career interests in day care, education or even therapy.

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No-Sew Bean Bag Project

I have a confession to make…I am fascinated with silly monsters! They are just too stinkin’ cute! So when I wanted my students make no-sew bean bags in my Child Development class for activities to do with toddlers to help develop their large motor skills and balance, I couldn’t resist using silly monsters as my theme. Students not only enjoyed making the bean bags and applying their creativity, but also had fun participating in the activities they created to go with them!

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Project Brainstorm: Let us help you! This month’s topic is Nutrition Across the Lifespan

We are going to pose a topic and ask you to “help us help you” by just sharing one thing you did whether it be an activity, a video clip, infographic, reading, TPT product, etc. when teaching that topic. We believe everyone will win in the end as you’ll have a new lesson or at least a lot of new ideas and resources to pull from. Check back often as this page will be updated as resources come in.

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Caring for a Sick Child Interactive Notes

When surveying my students about what scares them most about taking care of young children, especially while babysitting, a common answer is frequently given. It is what to do if a child is sick or gets sick while in their care. I know as a parent, you just know when something isn’t just right, like a sixth sense, but I wanted to give an overview to my students about common signs, how to take a temperature and read the thermometer, when to call the doctor and the importance of accurately measuring medicines and storing them safely. So, I put together this interactive lesson to use with students that is a mixture of teacher led and student directed notes and activities.

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Families in Crisis

Teaching about families in crisis can be difficult especially when you don’t always know what’s going on in the home lives of your students. However, it is important to discuss because every family, at one time or another, will face one or more at some point in their lives. No one is immune. This lesson and video case study is just one of many that could be used in the classroom. I like it because it is a way for students to apply all of the information learned about families as well as explore some crisis themes in more depth.

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To Eat or Not to Eat? Foods & Pregnancy

Many equate being pregnant with being able to eat “whatever” you want. After all, you are eating for two! However, there are many foods that are off limits during pregnancy. This unique lesson engages students by having them individually examine an assigned food to ascertain whether it should be eaten or avoided during pregnancy. With their newly acquired knowledge, they create a mini-poster using technology for use in a gallery walk activity. From there, t-charts are created and a group discussion ensues as to the correct placement of each food. “To eat or not to eat? That is the question.” Give it a try and see if your students aren’t highly engaged as they discover the answers to this infamous question.

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Living in Poverty Lesson & Activities

While listening to the news on the radio, it was announced that in Pennsylvania 1 in every 5 children lives below the poverty level. I’m sure this number varies from one state to the next but I thought it to be a rather scary statistic. This lesson and the included activities has students learning about poverty, what causes it, and an engaging simulation to see how easy it could be for some to live in poverty no matter how hard they try to avoid it.

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Communication Skills Lesson & Activities

In today’s society, with the abundance of electronic devices that keep students and adults ever so occupied and isolated, communication skills have never been more important and necessary. This lesson and activities strive to teach students the characteristics necessary for effective communication skills in various aspects of their lives in a fun and interactive way, using a variety of techniques. I’m sure there are many other activities that could be used in addition to what you will find here so, if you have a great way to teach communication skills, please share at feedback@familyconsumersciences.

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Newborn How-to Stations Using QR Codes

Many teachers are encouraged to incorporate various forms of technology into their lesson plans. QR Codes (Quick Response Codes) are everywhere…magazines, promotions, informational brochures, and even advertisements, so why not make them part of your classroom? QR Codes are like bar codes linked to hidden messages, websites or videos. I’ve been wanting to use these for awhile, but just didn’t know what I wanted to do with them. As I was updating my Child Development curriculum and lesson plans, I figured out the perfect way to use them in my Newborn Care unit. Read below to see how I am using QR Codes within this lesson/activity. Please share how you use QR Codes in your class room in the comment section below or shoot me an email with your attachments at Kim@FamilyConsumerSciences.com

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P.I.E.S: The Areas of Development

For anyone that is not familiar with the acronym PIES, it stand for the areas of development. P=Physical, I=Intellectual, E=Emotional and S=Social. Just as addition,subtraction, multiplication and division are the foundation for math and the alphabet is the foundation for reading, the PIES are the framework for child development. A child’s development is like pieces of a jigsaw puzzle…each piece is important to the whole puzzle just as each area of development is important to the whole child. When talking about the development of children, it is difficult to discuss the concepts that relate to the whole child without knowledge of the basics. Knowing the PIES helps students to understand the various ways that children grow and develop.

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