I’m a huge fan of hands-on activities for a variety of reasons! One of my favorites involves hexagonal thinking blocks. Not only does it provide students with engagement, but it also allows them to communicate, collaborate and think critically when working with the blocks. If you’d like to give this a try, check out the Calories & Exercise Lesson below.
Messy play was not encouraged in our household when I was a child! However, when I had my own children, it occurred on a regular basis, for a variety of reasons! In this Child Development Dilemma: To Paint or Not to Paint?, students are researching the art medium of finger paints as it related to young children. So if you’re looking for an engaging, hands-on lesson with activities, be sure to check this one out!
You’ve probably heard about needle felting, maybe even tried it. However, have you ever considered teaching the art to your students? When I learned this was being taught to high school students, I had to learn more. So, let me introduce you to Shaelin Nilsen of Utah! She created these “Hands-On Textiles: Needle Felting resources” so you, too, can help your students learn about non-woven textiles and wool fiber while creating a simple little project!
We all know that a necessary skill for personal, home, or professional life is being able to communicate effectively, but do high school students realize this? One
way to test their skills is through this Communication Origami activity! Great for all age levels!
In the hit movie, Barbie, the main character finds herself in the human world with Ken. Suppose that while Barbie & Ken are in human land, they decide to travel the
world. We all know that Barbie & Ken are fashionistas and they’d want to wear the latest styles and fashions of the countries they visit. However, they need your help! Continue reading Global Fashion with Barbie & Ken to learn more…
If you teach about the multiple intelligences, you may want to give this one a try. Multiple Intelligences with Potato Head Toys will not only engage your students because this is a hands-on activity, but you may even get a smile or two out of your students as they “play”—oops, I mean “learn” about this topic! So, if you have some of these classic toys stashed away, it may be time to dig them out and give them a new life and purpose in your classroom! If not, I’ve linked them below.
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!
If you teach about healthy relationships and are need of an engaging assignment, check out this Healthy Heart Visual. In this project, students get a tech break
as they create a hands-on visual representing characteristics needed for a healthy relationship. This semi-old fashioned project has them critically thinking about the meaning behind their selections as they construct and explain their visuals.
I’ve heard many say “come to my home”, while others say “come to my house”. While similar, the two terms are different in meaning as well as how each meet our
needs. Home, House & Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs addresses all of these as it explores the similarities and differences between the two along with Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs. This lesson provides an overview while engaging students in a variety of ways. So, if you teach about factors that influence our home and house selections, this may be a new way to go about it!
In my younger years, the first section of the newspaper I would go for was the comics…especially the Sunday paper as they were in color! Even now, when I get the
chance to read an actual newspaper, I enjoy reading the comics (although it’s not the first section I go to). Why did I like them so much? Well, they were fun, humorous, interesting, thought provoking and left me curious with anticipation to see what the next strip would divulge if there was an ongoing storyline. As a teacher, I have used Comics in the FACS Classroom on numerous occasions, in many ways, to excite, engage and assess my students. Read on to learn how.
