As teachers across the country are learning, a little creativity can go a long way. This is especially true if your students are attending class via computer instead of in person. In a recent webinar, Realityworks Product Manager Denise DuBois shared several creative ideas for teaching pregnancy and fetal development topics remotely. Below are our favorite ideas from Denise’s webinar. Use them, along with the lesson plans we’ve made available during these unprecedented times, to help your students stay engaged in their learning experience.
Idea: Use Everyday Household Objects to Understand Fetal Development Month by Month
This idea comes from the “Fetal Development” lesson that accompanies our Fetal Development Kit. The lesson focuses on development of the fetus from month to month. (This is actually quite a robust lesson with 10 different activities in all. Access the complete lesson for free here.)
Using comparable household objects is a great, hands-on way to help your students understand the size of the fetus month by month. Students are always amazed when they see some of these objects for a comparison.
Below is a list of recommended objects. To facilitate this activity, you could assign individuals or small groups one month each (or all nine). Have them gather objects of a similar size, label the month and submit a photo of their collection to you. You could also assign a research project and challenge students to come up with comparable objects of their own.
- Month 1: ¼ inch (pea, one Red Hots candy, round aspirin)
- Month 2: almost 1 inch (large jelly bean, quarter, large grape)
- Month 3: A little over 2 inches (car key, a ¼ of a graham cracker)
- Month 4: 4 ½ inches (toilet paper tube)
- Month 5: 6 ½ inches (standard stapler, tape dispenser)
- Month 6: Almost 12 inches (1-foot ruler)
- Month 7: Almost 15 inches (loaf of standard store-bought bread)
- Month 8: A little over 16 ½ inches (toy doll)
- Month 9: 19-13 inches (RealCare Baby or similarly sized doll)
Conclude the activity by providing an opportunity for reflection, whether that reflection is done via video, a writing assignment submitted electronically or a live interview.
Idea: Create a 1-Week Pregnancy Meal Plan
This idea comes from the “Understanding Pregnancy” lesson that accompanies our Pregnancy Profile® 2.0 Simulator. The lesson addresses healthy eating during pregnancy. It materials for you to discuss issues like heartburn, constipation and low blood sugar. It also includes information on the benefits of eating small meals through the day, foods to seek out and foods to avoid.
Creating a 1-week pregnancy meal plan is a great way to help students connect the content you’ve just shared with them to real life. Once you’ve shared the lesson content with your students – via video conferencing tools, an at-home reading assignment, presentation slides or another method – you’ll want to share three handouts from the lesson with them:
- Healthy Eating During Pregnancy worksheet
- Things to Avoid During Pregnancy worksheet
- Healthy Menu worksheet
(Remember, all of this lesson content, from the above worksheets to additional activities and assessments, can be accessed here.)
Once you’ve shared the above worksheets with your students (via LMS system, email or other method), assign the creation of a daily menu. You could also assign students to different types of diets, like lactose-free or vegan, a diet of someone on a reduced budget, gluten-free, etc. Have students submit a brief slide presentation creating a one-week menu plan for this type of diet. Wrap up with a reflection opportunity, via video, a writing assignment submitted electronically or a live interview.
Idea: Make an At-Home Pregnancy Simulation Experience
The topic of pregnancy symptoms and discomforts is part of the “Understanding Pregnancy” lesson that accompanies our Pregnancy Profile Simulator. (This robust curriculum actually includes 12 lessons, all of which you can adapt for at-home learning. In this example, we’re focusing on a single lesson).
Now, we know that students will not have access to the Pregnancy Profile Simulator at home. However, you can still help your students create their own at-home pregnancy simulation experience with commonly found objects.
- Students can create their own at-home pregnancy simulation experience by:
- Filling a backpack with 25-30 pounds and wearing it backward
- Filling a hot water bottle or beach ball with warm water and using a sling or wrap to secure it low on the abdomen
- Securing a medicine ball or similar exercise ball low on the abdomen
You can also watch this short-but-helpful video on how to create a DIY empathy bump. Watch it here.
Once your students are “wearing” their simulated pregnancy belly, instruct them to try completing common, everyday tasks like:
- Tying their shoes
- Picking up a dropped item
- Putting away groceries
- Folding laundry
- Getting dressed
As always, wrap up this experience by assigning a reflection opportunity, via video, a writing assignment submitted electronically or a live interview.
Learn more with these additional resources
Learn more about teaching pregnancy and fetal development topics remotely with these resources:
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- Watch Denise’s complete webinar, “Delivering Activities Online from the RealCare Curriculum to Teach Human Growth and Development” (36:48) here
- Download our free guide, “5 Strategies for a Successful Remote Learning Environment“
- Find additional blog posts about teaching remotely, like our recent post on “3 RealCare Baby Lessons You Can Facilitate Online“
