Tag: High School

Problem Based Learning: Parenting Dilemma

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Problem based learning projects are a great way to engage your students and incorporate some rigor.  How, you ask?  Problem based learning projects incorporate
many, and sometimes all of the the 4 C’s; Critical Thinking, Communication, Collaboration and Creativity.  The Family Medical Leave Work Dilemma takes a real world problem inspired by a Washington Post article and provides just enough information for students to come up with a viable solution.  If you’ve ever wanted to try problem based learning in your family or parenting classes, why not start with this one?

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Canned Soup Challenge

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Canned soup may be viewed as a quick and easy meal, albeit boring, generic, and bland. However, who says that canned soup has to be eaten as is? With a bit of creativity and a few extra ingredients, possibilities are endless when it comes to kicking up a little ‘ole can of soup. Why not show your students how to do this by assigning them the Canned Soup Challenge and then let them loose in the kitchen? To round it out, bring in judges to taste and evaluate their final products.

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Fishbowl Game

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Do your students sit and stare at you? Is getting them to talk a challenge–especially at the start of a new semester or unit?  One way to combat that and include
some friendly competition is to incorporate the Fishbowl Game!  This game has become one of my favorite activities to engage students and get them to relax and open up. This minimal prep game can be used to introduce new content, vocabulary words, holiday fun and more.  It’s a great team building exercise that can also be used with adults if you have to share teaching ideas among your faculty!

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43 Minute Lab Series: Dutch Babies

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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: Dutch Babies!

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Brain Puzzle

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Teaching about the brain is one of my all time favorite units in Child Development! I find it interesting and feel like I’m teaching students something new in a fun way. If you’ve used my Navigating the Brain lesson, you know that I had students create a Play-Doh brain. While I still like that assignment, I wanted something a bit more challenging. The Brain Puzzle is a creative, engaging way to apply the information learned and can be used as a review activity or an assessment!

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Hot Cocoa Cups

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If you are in need of a fun, festive holiday lab that is very creative and hands-on, why not give Hot Cocoa Cups a try? Not only are these fairly easy to make compared to actual cocoa bombs, but they taste delicious and make great little gifts or even fundraisers!

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Cookies, Cakes & Pies, Oh My!

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Cookies, Cakes & Pies, Oh My! is a subscription box template project. The original cookie subscription box idea came from Anna Hall, an Ohio FACS teacher. Upon receiving it, my brain immediately thought this project could extend to other desserts or foods and Anna graciously gave me permission to expand the project. So, if you’re looking for an extension project when teaching about desserts or other foods, this may be just what you’re looking for!

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Pie Crusts: Experimenting with Fats

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Recently, I read a newsletter about pie crusts made with olive oil. This was intriguing because my family has always sworn by pie crusts made with shortening. Because of this curiosity and the holidays being right around the corner, I decided to add a lab titled, Pie Crust: Experimenting with Fats so students could see and experience the similarities and differences first hand. Note: The pie crusts can be taste tested with or without a filling. If using a filling, I recommend a simple chocolate pudding with some whipped topping and sprinkles!

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Soul, Creole & Cajun Foods

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This Soul, Creole & Cajun Foods lesson, activities and lab is a collaboration of ideas from me and Arlene DeJoy-Meckes (from Teachers Pay Teachers). We teamed up to create this cross-curricular resource as a way to add ethnic diversity to your food classes. There are many teaching possibilities for this as it could be taught as a stand alone lesson, connected to a regional foods unit, when exploring the South, or even as an example of a cultural influence when teaching about food choices.

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Cast Iron Cooking Stations

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Had I asked students years ago if they cooked much with cast iron, I would have gotten a lot of positive responses. Today, not so much! Because many students don’t have this experience, I decided to teach them about “Cast Iron Cooking” so they could see the similarities and differences to regular cookware as well as the variety of foods that could be prepared with it.

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