Crazy for Crepes

Thinking about some new ideas for middle school labs got me to thinking about a lab I did early in my teaching career when I taught a foreign foods cooking class.   At the time we were studying French cuisine and the lab was making homemade CREPES.   Initially I was intimidated by crepes because they looked too difficult and fancy, but after working through some demonstrations with my students I found they really were a lot easier to prepare than they looked!  Crepes are basically really thin, delicate pancakes filled with a sweet or savory filling.  Since I know teenagers love desserts and chocolate is a favorite filling, I thought I would explore a recipe that would combine the two popular ingredients  along with fruit and work a creative crepe lab back into the curriculum.

Assessments in a Bag

This idea came about because I was looking for an alternate way to assess my students about their knowledge of a particular unit or topic besides administering a test.  Instead, I developed a partner or small group interactive, cooperative based…

Impact of Technology on the Family

It’s been said that the only thing that is constant in life is “change”. Our world is constantly changing and families are not insulated from the changes that occur in the society in which they live. One thing that seems…

Homemade Hotdog Buns

School is wrapping up and I’m sure if you’re like most of us you have several end of the year class or faculty picnics to attend. Chances are, hot dogs and hamburgers will be served at these events. Ever thought about having your culinary students make homemade buns for these events? What a great way to get a lesson sponsored!

Technology & Toddlers Activity

It’s hard to escape the children’s toy lesson without addressing the prevalence of Apps for Smart phones and tablets as the new toys for toddlers. Give it just a couple of years and this lesson will be obsolete as the students you’ll be teaching grew up playing more with Apps than physical toys and they will have no idea why that may be a problem. Regardless of your bias, we need to teach tomorrow’s child care workers & parents how to evaluate Apps that are good for children from the ones that are fluff.