Family & Consumer Sciences

In this class, students will explore the importance of selecting the right career. They will research various career paths and learn what it takes to succeed in each. Students will also discover how to find a job, along with the age requirements and restrictions for employment while still in school. Next, they will cover money management, learning how to wisely manage their earnings so they are prepared for future financial needs. Finally, the class will address consumerism, with a focus on how teenagers are often the target of advertising campaigns. Understanding the techniques companies use to persuade people to buy unnecessary products will help students make more informed decisions.

Another life skill students will learn about is fabrics and how to care for them (laundry!).

Finally students will learn kitchen safety skills and food preparation techniques. They will then be able to prepare many recipes using these new skills.

In 6th grade all students will take a 10 week course in  Family and Consumer Sciences. The units covered are child care and development, human nutrition and basic sewing skills. Various methods of teaching are used including class discussions, individual and group activities, homework, tests and hands on activities.

Eating well and being physically active is an important part of staying physically healthy and maintaining a healthy weight. Knowing which foods are healthy and how much of them are needed daily can help us all on our quest to be our personal best. Eating the right foods can help you stay focused, perform better in class, give you more energy and just make you feel better. Being physically active can help give you more energy, help maintain a healthy weight, reduce stress and make you feel good. Myplate and www.choosemyplate.gov are a good start for creating a healthy eating plan for yourself. In class we will discuss the food pyramid as well as what each food group does for our body. Below is what Myplate looks like. The United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) created this as a way to help Americans eat better.

At some point in our lives we may be responsible for the care of an infant or toddler. Students in the middle school may have younger brothers, sisters, neighbors or other relatives they may babysit for or want to babysit for. It is important to know what to expect and what to do. In this unit students will learn about milestones in the development of infants and toddlers. Basic infant and toddler nutrition will be discussed including foods that are safe and unsafe to eat. The importance of play will also be covered including a chance to examine infant/toddler toys and evaluate them. A project during this unit is an "Egg Baby" project. Students will be responsible for the care of an "egg child" for 2 days. The purpose of this project is to teach students first hand what it is like to care for "someone" other than themselves as well as the difficult decisions that need to be made on a day to day basis. It may also help them better understand the decisions their parents make regarding their safety.