Lots of Updates!

I haven't posted anything in a few weeks, because the end of the quarter means I have NO spare time! My lasses have done some really fun things though. Check out the pics below!

My staff developer, Ryan, set up the opportunity to take my Foods classes on a field trip to Texas Roadhouse! Talk about a totally awesome field trip!!! We had a blast!! We all learned a ton and I have a whole new respect for what waiters/waitresses do- on an average night they walk about 8 miles carrying about 40 lbs worth of stuff most of the time... ad they make only $2.13 per hour!). I was so impressed with the set-up of T.R. They were so patient and generous with my students. Dawn, the Manager, explained to the students the responsibilities of each of the employees of TR and shared with us some of the challenges the employees face. She had the student try to pass some of the tests they give their employees, like memorizing the menu and the table numbers. Dawn demonstrated how the computer system works and let student practice carrying a serving try. Then student got to tour the kitchens. Alan, the kitchen head, was a riot! He explained each station to the students and gave some good tips! Alan also explained that everything at TR is made from scratch. Wow!! They have a full time baker and a full time butcher there at TR. To top all this off... they fed us lunch!!! Talk about an awesome field trip!!

My Fashion class has been having some cool experiences too. We have had a variety of guest speakers over the last week. Meg McArthur and Mal Ence came to my class to talk about basic skin care tips and cosmetic tips. I know I learn something every time I hear them talk. It has been fun to see how my students have applied the tips Meg and Mal shared. We also had the Paul Mitchell Hair Academy come talk with my class. They gave away some great prizes and had some fun contests with my students. They demonstrated several hair products and explained some basic hair care tips. My students have been having a ball!! Plus, they have been learning a ton!! A HUGE thank you to all those who have supported our program here at DHMS by giving of their time and talents to share with my students!

Mock Preschool

Today in FACS we had our mock preschool. I put name tags on my students as they walked in the door. There were six different "centers" the students had to get to within the class period. They had ten minutes at each station. We had a snack station, a math station, a science station, a reading station, a small motor station, and an art station. I think the students had a good, challenging time at each of the stations. Here are some pics of the activities:

Here is a breakdown of the activities: The Art Station was to write a letter to their best friend without using words. They had to use color though. The Math Station was to play a dice game. Student had to add each roll of the dice. They could stop rolling at any time and keep their total, or they could keep rolling. If they rolled a "1" their turn was over and they lost their points for that round. First person to get to 100 points won the game. I don't think anyone got to 100. The Reading Station was to silent read children's story books. The Small Motor Station was to put together different puzzles with their eyes closed. The Snack Station was to make a smiley face sandwich with the various ingredients (bread, peanut butter, licorice ropes, gum drops, chocolate chips, raisins, coconut, etc). And the Science Station was to play with milk, food coloring and magic sticks (toothpicks with dish soap on them). It was fun to watch and listen to the students at the various stations.

Turkey Day

Today in Foods was "Turkey Day!" I invited the parents of my Foods students and my administration to come to class to see how to make a Thanksgiving turkey and to sample it, of course. I demonstrated how to prepare, how to de-bone, and how to garnish a turkey. I think the students enjoyed the sampling portion of class the best. I am offing extra credit to any of my students who go to the effort of making their families Thanksgiving Turkey this year. My first period class only had 1 parent come. I am hoping my 4th hour is a little more lively. I have had several students come in to say they were going to bring a guest, so maybe it will be a larger crowd.
This is the only picture we got before the battery on my camera died. Oh well. I will charge the battery when I get home. So much for putting a picture of the finished product on the blog.

Burritos

I know I am a little slow getting this one up, but I did take pics of this lab and I do want to mention it. We made burritos with homemade tortillas in my FACS class last week. I think the students really liked making their own tortillas. They learned really quickly to roll the dough thin in order to get a tortilla. Some of the tortillas looked a little bit more like a pita, but they sure tasted good!

Pancakes

I have the coolest students!! Today my FACS classes made pancakes and we had a blast! I know, I know, a simple recipe right. I can easily justify the simple recipe though, with all the other learning skills. Some of the pics below will explain. Some of my students made small silver dollar pancakes...

And some made really, really big pancakes. It was a lot of fun to see them trying to turn their large ones. Students used a lot of teamwork and coordination (and luck) to get them to turn out well.

Some of the groups sat down and had a nice meal. They warmed their syrup and made it a simply, formal affair!

Some of the groups got really creative and made Mickey Mouse pancakes.

I think the students had a good time. I know I did- I also ate about 5 pancakes! First period alone!!

Some of the students started getting a little more creative. Imagination is helpful here...

This is a smiling frog:

And this is a crab:

Stir Fry

My Foods students made stir fry today and my classroom smelled like heaven all day!! I think this lab has been one of the favorites!! Several people followed their noses into my classroom today to see what was cook'n. It was a fun day, a fun lab, and a fun expereience. I really feel like my students are starting to catch on to the basics! Someday, I hope to stock our labs with the proper equipment needed to make some of the recipeis we have attempted this year. I guess I will have to wait until my funds aren't quite so low!

Food Guide Pyramid Review

Basically the whole point of the FACS Exploration class is to give students a sample taste of all the different courses taught in the Family and Consumer Science content. Right now we are looking at the nutrition aspect of FACS. Today, simply to review what we learned last time, I had the students work as groups to create the food guide pyramid. It was an activity that was similar to what we did in the Foods class a while back. I made it a contest, with rules, to see who could create the correct pyramid the quickest. I took a pic of the winning group and they won suckers!