Category: Consumerism

Ultra-Processed Foods

Ultra-Processed Foods…talk about a topic that is in the news regularly…this is it! To help students learn more about Ultra-Processed Foods, I’ve created a variety of activities around the topic including chat stations, a drag and drop food sort, a dilemma for students to investigate and even a flashslide and warning label follow-up. Pick and choose or do them all!

What’s in Your Cart? A Receipt Analysis Activity

No two grocery carts are the same! Everyone has different food preferences based on a variety of food influences. You can tell alot about a person’s food habits and dietary lifestyles based on what you see in their cart. In this What’s in Your Cart? A Receipt Analysis Activity students infer, analyze, reflect and make connections to MyPlate and create meal plans all from the grocery cart receipts! The beauty of this activity is that you can choose to do only certain parts or you can assign the entirety to students.

Marshmallows: Mini-Lesson & Lab

I don’t know if this happens to you, but it happens to me quite frequently. Let me explain…I can go for a long time never seeing anything about a specific topic and then all of a sudden it’s everywhere!  This happened with homemade marshmallows. All of a sudden, I’m seeing videos, blog posts, social media feeds, etc. about homemade marshmallows everywhere. Maybe it was my sign to create this Marshmallows: Mini-Lesson & Lab for you to use with your students!

Project ABC for ANY Topic

Sometimes you need a generic project that can be used as an individual student assignment when class sizes are small or a group project when class sizes are large. This is where Project ABC for ANY Topic comes in! Regardless of the topic you are teaching, this activity can be used as a review of materials or as an assessment of materials in ANY course, with any topic! It even includes a version that can be turned into a bulletin board or wall display afterwards.

Old-Fashion Habits–Worth It or Not?

Recently, I ran across an article talking about the revival of old habits and it got me thinking about how these habits would impact family life, consumerism and the environment today. After thinking about it for awhile, I thought it might make for an interesting lesson for students to explore and learn more about. Thus, the lesson Old- Fashion Habits–Worth It or Not? was born!

Problem Based Learning: Gaming on a Budget

Many students are gamers, which simply means they enjoy playing games. However, I want to focus on video gaming as that is the type that many of our teens play on a regular, if not daily, basis…sometimes for hours on end. I created this Problem Based Learning: Gaming on a Budget assignment to help students see the costs involved. Many don’t realize the amount of money that is wrapped up in the hobby, so this is an eye-opening, real life, relevant financial case study that puts students in the role of the shopper. Read on to learn more!

Sustainable Living Lesson

We all know that April celebrates Earth Day and if you’re in need of some fresh materials, I’ve got you covered. This Sustainable Living Lesson includes some of my favorite activities from hex blocks to bag assessments. To see what’s all included, read on!

Baby Layette

If you teach a child development, parenting or family class and need to incorporate a financial component, then this Baby Layette project may be just what you are looking for! Not only do students learn what a baby layette is, but they also must put one together following a variety of budget ranges. Read on to learn more…

Pop Culture Baking Mix Project

The Pop Culture Baking Mix Project was inspired by the Bridgerton Baking Mixes offered from Betty Crocker!  I thought it was such a cool idea and thought of a ton of television and movies that teens might be inspired to create baking mixes for that I created this project for use in many classes from foods to marketing. So, have a look and hope you’re inspired as well!

Salary to Budget Hyperdoc

We all know that to manage our finances effectively, it helps to have a plan…aka budget.  With that being said, many high school students and young adults have no idea how to do this. If you teach any courses, classes or units that include adulting or financial literacy, this Salary to Budget Hyperdoc is a must to get them ready for life!  Initially, the hyperdoc puts the learning in the hands of the students as they independently work through the basics about budgets before applying what they’ve learned in a simulated budget, paper plate visual project, using a randomly assigned occupation and salary. Learn more as you continue reading.