As I was reading a newsletter referencing an article around emotions, mood and clothing colors, my creative juices started to flow! I knew there was a lesson just waiting to be written on the topic. So, today’s post “emotions, mood and clothing colors” can be used as a talking points lesson as you teach about fashion, capsule wardrobes or even with the selection of fabric color for constructing a garment.
In need of some new or different sewing resources? Check out the compiled list of resources for use in a sewing class, unit or lesson. As always, if you have other suggestions, please send them my way and I’ll update the list.
Engaging students while being digital only can be tricky! One activity that my students enjoyed was the “5 Clue Challenge”. It is super easy to implement and it does engage students in a variety of ways. The beauty of it, as always, is that it can be used in both the traditional and remote classroom settings!
A while back, I read an article in the Wall Street Journal about old ties. What was once an everyday staple of many a man’s wardrobe may now be hanging dust collectors! Because more workplaces are moving to casual attire, the tie rarely surfaces on a day to day basis. So what does one do with a closet full of dormant ties? Afterall, how many does one man need? Enter the FACS classroom! Clever and creative FACS teachers, teaching any kind of sewing unit, would benefit from the donation as their students work at repurposing the necktie into another functional piece of fashion or art!
I recently watched an episode of Adobe for Education and Matt Miller author of Ditch that Textbook (affiliate link) was on as a special guest. This episode focused on being creative while teaching remotely. His advice was to think outside the box, provide a fun twist when asking students to recall or share what they’ve learned about a particular topic. He suggested students share what they’ve learned in an unboxing video! How creative is that! My wheels started turning and I thought of so many ways that this could be used in our content. So join me, if you will, as I share “Unboxing Video Topics for the FACS Content! As always, if you have other ideas or you develop a specific project or assignment, please share and I will add them to the list!
During COVID-19, April Dull of Pennsylvania presented a webinar: “Using Canva to Inspire Students to Think and Express Themselves Creatively”. After participating in her presentation where the cross stitch unit was introduced, I knew I had to feature April on the website! Read on to see how a cross stitch unit was taught virtually to her students. While this unit was taught E-learning style, it can be used within a traditional or blended classroom.
Enrichment means to improve something…in this case the “something” was basic sewing skills (and fine motor skills). This year I chose to do a hand-sewing enrichment activity that was an extension of the rattle lesson in the infant unit. Students worked on their small motor skills while creating and hand-sewing an infant toy or rattle which was affectionately named Nessie. Please note, this project could easily be adapted to machine sewing if you have sewing machines in your classroom.
Looking for a warm and fuzzy community service project to do with your classes this Halloween? Check out the project Staci Wallech of Hagerstown, Maryland challenged her child development classes to create. Students made itty-bitty felt costumes which were donated to the tiny patients of her local hospital! Needless to say, the possibilities for cuteness were endless!
This fun project was designed by Sasha Roble of Central Dauphin High School, Pennsylvania as a beginner sewing project and can be utilized at nearly any grade level. Ideally, this is a great project to use in conjunction with a unit on time and resource management. The bookmarks are unique and provide students with the opportunity to construct a practical and useful product. They can be sewn relatively quickly (4 – 5 days) and are not costly to make.
Many schools are encouraging their students to read beyond the English class. This can easily be done in the FACS classroom as there are so many great books that can be incorporated into the various content areas of family consumer sciences. Below you will find a compiled list of books recommended by content area. If you have any additional “reads” that you use in your FACS classroom that should be included, please add them in the comment section below.
