Toys purchased from stores can be expensive only to have children play with them for a brief period of time before setting them aside for something else. Empty boxes and containers, on the other hand, make great toys and allow for way more imagination and creativity. Better yet, they don’t cost you anything extra as you were probably going to recycle them anyway! Let students learn about the value of cardboard toys as they explore and engage in the following lesson.
Have you ever been a fast fashion junkie needing to update your wardrobe on a regular basis? Many of us probably have at some point in our lives! Fast Fashion: A Talking Points Lesson & Activity has students exploring this concept and its impact, as well as learning about some things they can do to make a difference!
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.
Do you teach a Housing or Interior Design class? Are in need of an end of the year project? If you answered “yes,” you must check out this impressive 3-D “Housing Final” project created and shared by Katelyn Propper of Indiana. Now, more than ever, students need a break from their screens and this hands-on housing project delivers that and more!
Upcycling gives us the opportunity to turn items, otherwise deemed trash, into something creative and functional! And thanks to Missouri FACS teacher Amy Harkey, baby wipe lids can be repurposed into an educational child development activity! Amy shares her adapted and interactive “Upcycled Wipe Container Project” with us! Read on to see what she has her students creating!
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!
There are tons of articles about including and promoting STEM to our students. I decided to add this “STEM: Role Models & Activities” lesson and project into my child development class. I want my students to not only understand what STEM is, but why it’s important to expose and encourage it with young children.
While shopping for a baby gift, I noticed the variety of rattles available for infants. There were rattles that were simple, plush, noisy, colorful, interactive, chewable and even battery operated….so many to choose from! I had a difficult time choosing one to add to my gift and it got me to thinking that new parents must feel the same way. Do infants and babies even need rattles? What is their role in infant development? It was then that I decided to add a lesson and project about rattles and how they affect development to my infant unit!
This is a topic I’ve wanted to teach for a long time, not only because I practice it, but think it’s an important lesson for everyone to know and implement in their lives! However, that said, I was also a bit nervous introducing this lesson because I didn’t know how my students would receive it. Would they think it interesting and practical? Would they think it old-fashioned and a thing of the past? Would they even engage? Well, I can honestly say that my students were totally with me throughout this entire lesson! They shared personal stories and examples! They embraced the topic and were quite interested in the articles and stories I had them use, as well as the projects they were assigned! In the future and for the record, I will definitely be teaching this unit again, but this time with complete confidence!
