Category: Life Skills Resources

Gobbledy Gooks Measuring Lab

If you really want to get the attention of your students when it comes to the importance of measuring and reading (and understanding) a recipe, assign the Gobbledy Gooks Measuring Lab! This non-sensical lab will give them a challenge, make them laugh and even frustrate them!  However, it will also reinforce the need for correct terms and tools (actual measuring skills) as well as understanding tasks when preparing a recipe. So, if you’ve never tried this recipe out with your students, I encourage you to give it a try.

Embroidering Clothes

I was thrilled when, during the pandemic, my daughter wanted to learn how to embroider!  She wanted to learn how to make flowers. So we pulled out all of the supplies, drew some free hand flowers and proceeded. She quickly picked up the techniques and went on to embroider some beautiful masks and denim shirt pockets. This got me to thinking that with all of the upcycling and repurposing that is part of sustaining our earth, why not teach students the skill and art of Embroidering Clothes!  Read on to learn more.

Make Your Own Series: Bread Crumbs & Croutons

I don’t know about you, but I love making my own bread crumbs and croutons in place of those that are conveniently made for us and sold at big box stores. Some reasons I like to make my own are they are generally cheaper, quantities needed can be easily adjusted based on the recipe, it can be made easily by students as part of a lab and then used in future labs and most importantly….I know exactly what is in the product!  No weird, unpronounceable ingredients! So in this Make Your Own Series, I’ll be sharing products that can easily be made from scratch, using common ingredients. Sharing…Make Your Own Series: Bread Crumbs & Croutons.

43 Minute Lab Series: Baked French Toast

After noticing continuous requests for lab suggestions that are doable in 43 minute class periods, I’ve decided to do a recurring series, featuring recipes that can be completed from beginning to end in a 43 minute time frame. In some cases, longer recipes will broken into two day labs. In addition, I will include my pre-lab review questions that pertain specifically to the recipe. This helps to ensure that students are reading the recipe. It also allows me time to show any videos that may demonstrate the product or specific techniques. So, without further ado, I present the 43 Minute Lab Series: Baked French Toast!

Whose Role Is It?

When teaching about the family life cycle, I like to focus on some specific topics within the stages.  Whose Role Is It? is an activity used within the beginning stage. This is a really engaging activity that generates a lot of discussion, sometimes heated at that! So if you’re looking for a hands-on activity to get students thinking and talking, this is for you!

Eating Disorders

Unfortunately, since the pandemic, Eating Disorders have been on the rise. I’ve been seeing a lot of requests for updated lessons on Eating Disorders. So in this post you will find a variety of engaging lessons to help keep your students focused as they learn more about the three most common types of eating disorders.

Off to College Series: STRESS

This past spring, I put a post on Facebook as to how I could help teachers and one of the responses I received was to add more lessons to the Off to College Series. The
wish has been granted! This Off to College Series: STRESS lesson explores the concept of stress as it relates to first year college students.  However, even if you aren’t teaching it from this perspective, there are a lot of engaging activities that can be used or adapted for other lessons about stress!

Bacon Lesson & Labs

My students would always tell me that bacon makes everything better and I agree!  There’s just something about bacon that amps up the flavor of
whatever it is paired with! I created this Bacon Lesson & Labs to help students learn more about bacon; where it comes from, cooking techniques, seasonings and even some fun, tasty labs!

Importance of Small Talk

There was a time when keeping students quiet was a challenge because all they wanted to do was talk! Now, not so much! Sadly, many students want to avoid
talking to you, their peers or anyone else at all costs. Importance of Small Talk is a great lesson to use with students at the beginning of the school year, new semester or even as part of a communication unit. Not only does this lesson give insight on the importance of small talk, but it encourages small talk among students and helps build relationships as they get to know each other! Continue reading to learn more…

Relationship Videos

Movies and movie clips can be a great way to add and increase interest to a lesson or topic. Jeff Brown, of Colorado, teaches a Psychology of Relationships
course (any many others) at Rampart High School and has an amazing collection of Relationship Videos that he has created for that class.  He is graciously sharing his video collection with us, along with his websites which are chocked full of materials for various content areas.  So, if you’ve been struggling to add more interest and engagement to your relationship lessons, you are definitely going to want to check these out!