1st Semester Update!

With Thanksgiving over and the winter holiday fast approaching, we will be in fast gear until the Christmas break.  During this period, we will be doing LOTS of cooking and completing short laundry and consumerism units. 

Next week, we will be baking some cookies to enjoy while also baking cookies to donate to some local families who need a little extra help and encouragement this season.  These families have been identified by our social work network and various efforts are underway to meet their holiday needs.  The FACS classes will be including some hand-sewn and "home-baked" items in their holiday baskets.

If your student's group chooses a recipe that includes chocolate chips or other chocolate-like baking additives (Hershey's kisses, M&M's, Heath bars, etc.), their group will need to be responsible for bringing in that baking ingredient, though the FACS lab will supply all other ingredients. NO NUTS WILL BE INCLUDED IN ANY RECIPE DUE TO SOME SIGNIFICANT NUT ALLERGIES THIS SEMESTER!!

We have wrapped up our first cooking projects for the quarter, and will now be working on sewing for awhile.  Per request of parents and students, below is the muffin batter recipe we used.  Get creative on the things you add to this batter; some options would be berries (coat them in flour so they don't sink to the bottom of the muffins), peanut butter, granola, chocolate chips, raisins and cinnamon, or how about a few grated apples with some cinnamon?

Large Batch Muffin Mix

This batter makes enough for 3 batches of muffins, using 2 ½ cups of batter for each batch.  The standard batter, using 2 ½ c. batter, with berries of some sort added, would fill about 12 sprayed muffin tins, baked at 400 for about 15 minutes.

Dry Ingredients (put into top of sifter, place bowl underneath.  Do not sift until all three ingredients are added)

·         6 cups flour

·         1 ½  tsp salt

·         2 TBSP baking powder

Remove sifter, shake it off gently over the trash, and wipe outside with a damp towel. DO NOT, DO NOT, DO NOT, DO NOT, DO NOT PUT SIFTER IN DISHWATER!!!!

Wet Ingredients (Put all ingredients in another large mixing bowl. Use fork to stir until all is smooth)

·         1 ½  c. white sugar

·         1 c. brown sugar

·         1 c. oil

·         3 eggs

·         1  c. water

·         1 tsp vanilla

·         1 c. *buttermilk (substitute 1 c. warm milk plus 1 TBSP vinegar)

Add dry ingredients to the wet ingredients. Mix VERY VERY well with large stirring spoon.  Carefully put the batter in a LABELED Ziploc bag and store in refrigerator.

http://www.16personalities.com/free-personality-test

The link  above takes you to a site with alllllllllllllll kinds of information about the type of personality you have.  First, you will take the personality test by sliding the little ball with your cursor for each question.  Try not to leave the little ball in the middle on very many questions.  Once you have finished the questions, click on to the results page.  

MAKE SURE you visit all the links in the box on the right of your results page.  Each page tells more characteristics of personalities like yours. 

BE READY TO FILL OUT AN EXIT SLIP BEFORE YOU LEAVE TODAY WITH THINGS YOU LEARNED ABOUT YOUR PERSONALITY FROM TODAY’S RESEARCH!

Happy Multiple Intelligence Friday!  Enjoy the visual/spatial opportunities on these links!

http://www.michaelbach.de/ot/

https://www.brainbashers.com/opticalillusions.asp

Good Monday Morning!  The first week of school is under our belts, and I am ready for this year to be in full swing.  The feel of fall is here, with perfect days and cool nights and it feels like SCHOOL, which is a happy thing for me! (Crazy, right??? That's why I teach MIDDLE SCHOOL!!!) 

FACS 1 will be learning about communication this week, with identifying the student's natural problem-solving style and characteristics about each style.  We will add some communication tips to this set of information to help round out the way we interact in given situations.

FACS 2 will be talking about TEEN STRESS and how it affects us EVERYDAY.  We will rate our stress level compared to other national averages on teen stress. But most importantly, we will focus on HOW we manage the stress we have, no matter how MUCH stress we have.  Here are some sites we will visit:
http://www.jhsph.edu/research/centers-and-institutes/center-for-adolescent-

health/_includes/Teen_Stress_Standalone.pdf

http://www.pamf.org/teen/life/stress/managestress.html

Welcome to my very first Blog page, devoted to my professional role as an educator at Willard Middle School.  I am a Family and Consumer Science teacher, and I have taught all 17 years of my career in the Willard School District.  I have raised three children in this district, reside here, and am proud to call Willard my home.

Please be patient as I learn to blog, and I certainly hope my posts to be more exciting than this first one!  

For my students and their families, I am planning to give an overview of the goals for each week.  I will upload recipes, videos, and powerpoints so that students can access pertinent information about class, even when they are away.  For now, please consider this my introduction and be assured that I LOVE teaching middle school and I am dedicated to the importance of the life skills my class promotes.