The more middle school career exploration opportunities students have, the better their understanding will be of the working world and what they want to do in it. Family and Consumer Science (FCS) careers in particular are in high demand as opportunities in child care expand and open positions in the food industry increase. That’s why we’ve put together this list of hands-on tools and activities to help middle school students explore FCS careers.
1. Child Care Center Design Kit
Our interactive Child Care Center Design Kit includes curriculum and activities to introduce students to best practices for arranging learning center rooms, an essential skill for future child care professionals. Each kit includes five individual trays containing a dry erase board, marker, microfiber cloth, three sets of age-appropriate furniture tiles, and a photo key card. This kit is perfect for middle school career exploration as students learn about child care center careers before they get the opportunity to design their own center!
The included curriculum takes approximately three hours to complete. It covers child care career exploration; guidelines and best practices for classroom design; and infant, toddler, and preschool classroom design. The curriculum comes with presentation slides, student activities, and assessments.
We recommend two kits for a 20-student class exploring FCS content areas and human services careers.
Use this kit to explore careers in infant-related education and human services as well as early childhood development services.
Add soft skills practice with these supplemental scenario cards: Child Care Career, Employability, and Leadership
2. The Quints
Use our Quints package to introduce fundamental child care and pediatric career skills, such as the importance of child abuse prevention and how to care for premature infants. Students will be able to interact with five realistic simulators:
- Shaken Baby effectively demonstrates how an infant’s brain is affected after just a few seconds of shaking
- Our Drug-Affected Baby emits the cries and displays the withdrawal tremors of a drug-affected infant
- Our Fetal Alcohol Syndrome Baby shows the possible physical effects of prenatal alcohol use
- Preemie Baby, which resembles a preterm infant born at 30 weeks
- Our Down Syndrome Baby helps boost awareness and understanding of births with down syndrome
Each Baby comes with its own curriculum for five to nine hours of teaching time. Some lesson topics include understanding prenatal drug, meth, and alcohol exposure; understanding shaken baby syndrome; and all about premature infants. There curricula are great for aiding in middle school career exploration into paths involving infants and the common medical issues they face.
We recommend one package for a 20-student class exploring careers in FCS, human services, and health science.
Use this package to explore careers in childbirth; substance abuse prevention during pregnancy; infant-related education and human services; shaken baby syndrome education, prevention, and treatment; early childhood development and services; counseling and mental health services; family and community services; and more!
Add soft skills practice with these supplemental scenario cards: Child Care Career, Employability, Leadership, Nursing Career, Medical Assistant Career, and EMT Career
3. Education and Training Career Exploration Kit
Explore careers in early childhood, elementary, and secondary education as well as others with our Education and Training Career Exploration Kit. It includes student workbooks, Education and Training Career Scenario Cards, a classroom poster on this career cluster and related occupations, online access to slide presentations, and spiral-bound curriculum.
The included curriculum has five different lesson topics. For instance, students will explore careers in administration and administrative support careers as well as professional support services. It takes approximately six to seven hours to complete the curriculum which includes student activities and assessments. It can be used all on its own or it can supplement your existing curriculum.
We recommend two kits for a 20-student middle school career exploration class exploring FCS as well as human services.
Use this kit to explore careers in infant-related education and human services as well as early childhood development services.
Add soft skills practice with these supplemental scenario cards: Child Care Career, Employability, and Leadership
4. RealCareer® Food Safety Kit
The RealCareer® Food Safety Kit covers basic food safety and handling techniques used in culinary careers (and at home). It includes curriculum, presentation slides, 12 food safety posters, six bottles of Glo Germ™ Gel, and more! The hands-on activities and group work make this kit excellent for both middle school career exploration and improving soft skills like teamwork.
The curriculum has six different lesson topics. Students will explore topics such as basic food safety and foodborne illnesses. They’ll also explore culinary and food service careers.
We recommend two kits for a 20-student class exploring culinary arts careers.
Use this kit to explore careers in restaurant and food/beverage services, nutrition and wellness, food products and processing, food science and technology, and human services food and nutrition.
Add soft skills practice with these supplemental scenario cards: Culinary Career and Food Processing, Production and Safety Career
5. Food Truck Design Kit
The Food Truck Design Kit provides a hands-on design experience for students exploring food truck businesses. This interactive learning aid allows for optimal student interaction and learning while planning all elements of a food truck business. It includes five trays each with a dry erase marker, microfiber cloth, two gridded dry erase boards, and two sets of furniture tiles.
The included curriculum has five different lesson topics including marketing for food trucks, budget management for a food truck business, and menu development. It takes approximately 18 hours to complete the curriculum which includes presentation slides, student activities, and assessments.
We recommend two kits for a 20-student middle school career exploration class covering culinary arts and/or business and marketing careers.
Use this kit to explore careers in restaurants and food/beverage services, business management, entrepreneurship, business finance, and marketing.
Add soft skills practice with these supplemental scenario cards: Culinary Career and Food Processing, Production and Safety Career
6. Kitchen Safety Kit
Our Kitchen Safety Kit introduces basic kitchens safety concepts and techniques to your students in an easy-to-use, one-week unit. It includes a trivia card game, six sets of posters, Glo Germ Oil and Powder, and more! This kit is perfect for working middle school career exploration into any classroom as it can be used with any textbook or curriculum you currently have.
This kit’s curriculum has five different lessons. Topics include introduction to kitchen safety; sanitation; knife safety; and prevention of burns, falls, and electrical and chemical hazards. It takes approximately five hours to complete the curriculum, which includes presentation slides, student activities, and assessments.
We recommend two kits for a 20-person class covering culinary arts careers.
Use this kit to explore careers in plant systems; agriculture, food, and natural resources; restaurants and food/beverage services; nutrition and wellness; food products and processing; food science and technology; and human services food and nutrition.
Add soft skills practice with these supplemental scenario cards: Culinary Careers as well as Food Processing, Production and Safety
7. Food Science and Nutrition Lab Kit
Our unique Food Science and Nutrition Lab Kit introduces students to food science and nutrition concepts, essential for a variety of culinary and food science careers. It includes student workbooks; 12 posters; Food Processing, Production and Safety Career Scenario Cards; and more!
Our included curriculum features seven different lessons covering topics such as career planning, food safety, and introduction to nutrition. It takes approximately 17 to 22 hours to complete the curriculum. It’s great for middle school career exploration as it comes with presentation slides, hands-on student activities, thought-provoking scenarios, and assessments.
We recommend two kits for a 20-person class covering agriculture and culinary arts careers.
Use this kit to explore careers in plant systems; agriculture, food, and natural resources; restaurants and food/beverage services; nutrition and wellness; food products and processing; food science and technology; and human services food and nutrition.
Add soft skills practice with these supplemental scenario cards: Culinary Careers as well as Food Processing, Production and Safety
8. RealCare® Pregnancy Profile Simulator
The RealCare® Pregnancy Profile Simulator depicts the third trimester of pregnancy, a great experience for introducing further discussion of nursing and child care careers. This wearable pregnancy vest and curriculum helps students understand pregnancy’s impact on the body, life goals, finances, relationships, and emotions. It includes a rib constrictor belt with two plastic balls, water bladder, bladder pressure weight bag, and more.
The included curriculum has 12 different lessons. Topics include the physical changes of pregnancy, impact on life goals, and pregnancy symptoms. It takes approximately 20 to 25 hours to complete all the curriculum which comes with presentation slides, student activities, and assessments. The curriculum also aligns to Common Core State Standards and Common Technical Core Standards.
We recommend two simulators for a 20-person middle school career exploration class covering FCS, health sciences, and therapeutic services careers.
Use this simulator to explore careers in childbirth; substance abuse prevention during pregnancy; shaken baby syndrome education, prevention, and treatment; therapeutic services; medical assistance; and nursing.
Add soft skills practice with these supplemental scenario cards: Child Care Career, Nursing Career, Medical Assistant Career, and EMT Career
Learn More
If you’re looking for information on middle school career exploration opportunities, we suggest:
- Our free career exploration curriculum, which introduces students to in-demand careers within culinary arts and food science, FCS, human services, and more
- This free guide on using scenarios to explore careers:
- Our blogs on middle school career exploration in trades, agriculture, and health science
- This brochure on FCS career options from the American Association of FCS
- Realityworks Product Manager Denise DuBois shares a variety of tips, resources and best practices in her webinar, Exploring FCS Careers With Middle School Students:
