Considering the shorter-than-ever attention spans of today’s students, it’s more important than ever to incorporate learning aids that grab and keep your students’ interest (whether you’re teaching in person or online). These learning aids top FCS teachers’ wish lists right now for their ability to:
- Engage today’s feedback-hungry students in lessons on child care and infant health and safety
- Keep them interested in lessons on safe food prep and proper knife skills
- Provide interactive, hands-on opportunities to understand the challenges of older adults and develop empathy and sensitivity toward the elderly
Keep reading to see our most popular learning aids for the FCS classroom.
Popular learning aids for Child Development lessons:
- RealCare Baby® Infant Simulator engages students by giving them a realistic, hands-on, feedback-driven opportunity to practice childcare and parenting skills (while instructors get access to measurable data and curriculum).
- RealCare Baby supplies like wristbands, diapers and bottles are key to a successful RealCare Baby Program.
- Our CDA Scenario Kit can be used to help students train for their national CDA certification, or to add real-world content to lessons.
- RealCare™ Shaken Baby engages students by providing a dramatic lesson on the impact of shaking an infant. The included curriculum includes a “Pledge Not to Shake” that all students can sign.
- RealCare™ Fetal Alcohol Syndrome Baby engages students with a hands-on, up-close look at the potential physical effects of prenatal alcohol use.
- RealCare™ Drug-Affected Baby engages students by emitting the cries and demonstrating the withdrawal tremors of a drug-affected infant.
- Preemie Baby offers students the chance to see, touch and feel a manikin that’s the size of an infant born at 30 weeks.
- Down Syndrome Baby give students the chance to see, touch and feel a manikin that exhibits 12 common physical attributes of Down Syndrome.
- Our Child Care Center Design Kit lets students create their own child care center learning environments, using critical thinking skills as they plot locations for furniture and other items.
Bonus: Our Child Development learning aids include lesson plans, activities and assessments. During the COVID-19 pandemic, we’ve made these resources available to all educators, whether they have our learning aids or not. Access these lesson plans here.
Popular learning aids for Culinary lessons:
- RealCareer® Food Safety Kit lets instructors create 6 small-group activities in which students collaborate to learn basic food safety and handling techniques.
- Knife Skills Kit gives students safe, hands-on practice demonstrating and applying knife skills with play dough.
- Beef & Pork 3D Meat Cuts Poster offers a full-color look at primal beef and meat cuts on a contoured, 3D poster.
Bonus: Our culinary learning aids include lesson plans, activities and assessments. During the COVID-19 pandemic, we’ve made these resources available to all educators, whether they have our learning aids or not. Access these lesson plans here.
Popular learning aids for Farm-to-School lessons:
- Our Plant Producer Educational Hydroponics System enables students to grow large quantities of fresh lettuce and other greens while learning the value of cooking, serving and eating fresh vegetables.
- Our Plant Lab Educational Hydroponics System lets students can experiment with growing various quantities of greens while discovering the benefits of eating and cooking with fresh, healthy food.
Bonus: Our hydroponics learning aids include lesson plans, activities and assessments. During the COVID-19 pandemic, we’ve made these resources available to all educators, whether they have our learning aids or not. Access these lesson plans here.
Popular learning aids for Human Growth and Development lessons:
- Our RealCare™ Geriatric Simulator lets students feel what it’s like to age as they attempt to complete simple tasks while wearing an age simulation suit.
- Our Geriatric Sensory Impairment Kit lets students experience hearing impairment, arthritis and hand tremors. These unique, personalized experiences give students a better understanding of the challenges older adults face.
Bonus: Our HGD learning aids include lesson plans, activities and assessments. During the COVID-19 pandemic, we’ve made these resources available to all educators, whether they have our learning aids or not. Access these lesson plans here.
Popular learning aids for soft skill lessons:
- Our Employability Skills Program and Leadership Skills Program use interactive, real-world activities to help students develop key soft skills. Better yet, these programs are now available online as well as in paper-based format.
Learn more about our products and programs for FCS courses
- With so many educators teaching both in-person and online, we’ve conducted several webinars about how to use our learning aids for blended teaching. Explore our on-demand presentations here.
- Curious about starting a RealCare Baby program of your own? Check out these implementation resources.
