Promote FCS! Get your Students Talking!

What Class?  Get your Students Talking about FCS!

The student body should be consistently reminded of their opportunities in FCS, and your current students are your best marketing tool.  Waiting until 8th-grade orientation or scheduling is too late to deploy your marketing plan, begin now, make sure your students are consistently dominating the conversation at their lunch table with guess what we did today in FCS.  Find lessons and activities that are engaging and unique, be sure students are creating and taking products from your classroom, and most of all build relationships.  Students sign up for courses because they like the teacher or are told they will like the teacher! 

Below are some ideas to get your students talking about your courses ….

•    Don’t be a party pooper!  Host Halloween, winter, Valentines and spring parties for your students.  These can have a preschool focus to also be standard driven.

•    Talk about labor & delivery?  My students loved to make diaper babies (search diaper baby on Pinterest) and they were always a big hit among the students!  After delivering the baby they got to make a diaper baby and complete a birth certificate.

•    Oh boy, it’s a girl!  Let your students plan a baby shower and donate all the ‘gifts’ to a local charity.

•    Crafts are always fun!  Find crafts for the students to make.  Always let them make 2, 1 to take and 1 to share!

•    Paint the picture.  Have student's finger paint posters to promote your child development course or use sidewalk chalk outside.   

•    Change for Change. Have student’s research different organizations that benefit kids.  Allow them to decide on an organization to sponsor then collect a baby bottle full of change from their peers to make a class donation.  Example organizations may include March of Dimes, Ronald McDonald House, or any other cause for children.

•    Dine with a Friend.  Have students prepare a lunch and invite a friend to come eat with them in the foods lab.  You could also have students prepare continental breakfast items and invite a friend to join them before school for a breakfast reception to learn more about the class

•    Free Samples. Do you demonstrate?  Stand in the hall between classes offering free samples. 

•    Authentic audience, Authentic food!  Catering for different groups in the school is always a great way to promote your foods courses.  Offer to make up some treats for the student council meeting or drama club!  These are items students can prepare in class and can be picked up by a sponsor after school.

•    Feed the Hungry!  Partner with your food pantry, to collect food items. Then have students organize the donations into healthy meal bags.  Using their skills they would need to analyze the food labels to make a complete meal.  If an item or group is missing students could add a suggestion card to the bag.   

•    Wash, Rinse, Dry!  Have students teach proper handwashing to younger students, especially this time of year when germs are being shared in abundance.

•    Fight BAC!  Have students use safety and sanitation best practices to make small commercials that could be shared before announcements or at the end.  “Brought to you by Ms. Robinson’s foods class”

•    Cooking Camp. Sponsor an afterschool club that meets 1 day after school each week for a month or longer.  Ask for volunteers to stay and cook simple recipes with the kids.  It’s a great gateway to building interest.

•    Chinese takeout tonight?  Teach your students to eat with chopsticks, this is a fun skill activity for Fridays or the last 5 minutes of class.

•    Look at the swan……its beautiful!  Let students practice napkin folding.  This is a great activity for groups that finish early or a fun Friday activity.

•    Employment Event.  Have students organize and invite local businesses who employee high school students to participate in a career fair during lunch.  This is a great spring activity as employers and students look for summer jobs.

•    Business Brunch.  Partner with a local restaurant to host your students for a professional brunch and invite local businesses professional to talk with your students about employability skills.  A great networking opportunity and lesson!

•    Host Game Day Friday!  Let students play a career focused game such as Life, Career Jenga, Career Taboo, Career Headbanz, Careers Pictionary, Speak out – Workplace Phrases, and Careers - Name 5.  You can find modified versions of these games on the internet or create them based on your topic or need in the classroom.  Have several available allowing students to choose.  Serve up some popcorn and call it Game Day Friday!

Sign up to receive future post……upcoming post includes topics such as contraceptives, sexually transmitted diseases, child development holiday ideas, and additional FCS recruiting ideas.  For great lessons that will get your students talking about FCS visit my Etsy shop at https://www.etsy.com/shop/TeachingSuccessFCS!

What activities/lessons get your students talking about FCS?