TeachersFirst's Family Consumer Science Resources
Family Consumer Science (FCS), also sometimes referred to as Home Economics, is a subject that encompasses many topics, including food science and preparation, human development, personal finance, family finance, wellness and nutrition, apparel and sewing, interior design, and more. This curated list of reviewed resources includes all of these topics and others related to FCS. We have included resources for all grades. Remember, our "In the Classroom" suggestions give you ideas about using these tools in your classroom.
Find additional resources related to financial literacy, nutrition, child development, and cooking.

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Made to Sew - Aneka Truman
Grades
5 to 12In the Classroom
Bookmark and save this site for use in Consumer Science Education classes to teach basic sewing skills; look for videos labeled "for beginners." This site is also helpful for sharing with students interested in sewing or fashion design to learn more about sewing methods. Made to Sew offers several playlists with tutorials for holiday projects; use these ideas as inspiration for classroom projects. Ask a parent with basic sewing knowledge to volunteer to help when working on holiday projects. Have students create tutorials for sewing projects using Google Slides, reviewed here, which includes photos and directions for each step of the process to complete the project.You must be registered and logged in to add items to your favorites.
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Fashion Design - Parsons School of Design via Coursera
Grades
8 to 12tag(s): careers (133), design (85), fashion (11), Online Learning (38)
In the Classroom
Share this course with students interested in fashion design to get a feel for the industry and the type of courses needed to get involved in the fashion industry. Include the course as part of a project-based learning assignment and ask students to share their learning with peers when finished. Have students use a 3-D design program such as Tinkercad, reviewed here, to create original designs. As a final project, ask students to create and share a portfolio using Bulb, reviewed here, or another website creator that includes templates for showcasing their designs.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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Alison - Mike Feerick
Grades
10 to 12This site includes advertising.
tag(s): business (50), careers (133), chinese (44), coding (79), communication (134), engineering (116), french (72), german (47), literature (219), OER (43), Online Learning (38), politics (108), psychology (66), sociology (23), spanish (103), STEM (236)
In the Classroom
Use Alison to find professional learning courses, learn the basics of a new language, or for personal development. Share Alison with students to learn skills not offered in school or share with ENL/ESL students to use when learning English. Use Alison with student cohorts interested in learning about a new topic or preparing for college-level courses.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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Kid's Healthy Eating Plate - Harvard - T.H. Chan, School of Public Health
Grades
2 to 6tag(s): fitness (49), nutrition (132), preK (246), printables (36)
In the Classroom
Share this colorful page with students using your interactive whiteboard or projector when introducing any health, nutrition, or Family and Consumer Science lessons or unit. For younger students, and over several class periods, have them color in their blank PDF, as you (or other students) read the text for what that food or that particular picture is about. With younger students, as each individual picture is complete use Flip, reviewed here, as a video response platform for students to share what they learned about that food group. With older students consider setting up a Padlet, reviewed here, for students to brainstorm recipes where the main ingredient comes from a particular food group. Use the Padlet columns feature for organizing the food groups.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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My Plate Match Game - Dairy Council of California
Grades
2 to 6tag(s): fitness (49), game based learning (167), nutrition (132)
In the Classroom
Use this interactive as an anticipatory set or "activator" to introduce a unit or lesson about nutrition on a projector or interactive whiteboard. Discuss not only the colors of the food groups but the portions on the plates. Make a shortcut to this site on classroom computers and use it as a center. Use Padlet, reviewed here, to enhance learning by having students brainstorm a list of activities, games, and sports they would suggest to be active 60 minutes per day. With Padlet you can create columns for the different types of activities. Post a link on your class website for parents and students to use at home.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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Co-Co's AdverSmarts:An Interactive Unit on Food Marketing on the Web - MediaSmarts
Grades
K to 4tag(s): advertising (23), preK (246)
In the Classroom
Share a link to this site on your class webpage for parents to share with their children. Include this game on classroom computers for use during computer center time. Instead of creating separate links for different games, use a bookmarking tool like Symbaloo, reviewed here, to organize and share games easily. Symbaloo is perfect for use with younger students because it includes icons for links, which makes it easy to organize content by topic and easy for non-readers to find links. Ask students to brainstorm a list of words they see and hear in advertisements, then use those words to create a word cloud using Wordsift, reviewed here, to point out and discuss common words used to entice children. Extend learning for older students by asking them to to create their own advertisement for their favorite cereal or toy using a comic creation tool like ToonyTool, reviewed here. When working with very young students, create your cartoon as a class on your interactive whiteboard then share on your class webpage for students to discuss at home.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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Whole Kids Foundation - Kids Club - Whole Kids Foundation
Grades
K to 6tag(s): book lists (139), nutrition (132)
In the Classroom
Take advantage of the many free resources and downloads to include with any nutrition unit. Be sure to check out the Book Club activities that coordinate with popular children's literature. Before beginning your unit, use a quiz tool like Bamboozle, reviewed here to assess student knowledge or use Bamboozle as a review tool at the end of your unit. Have students create their own healthy living book using Book Creator, reviewed here. Ask students to include sample menus, videos sharing healthy living tips, and photographs they take sharing items made using templates from the Kids Club.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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How to Teach Your Children to be Financially Smart in the Digital Age - Blog-pawnhero
Grades
K to 12This site includes advertising.
tag(s): business (50), financial literacy (93), infographics (51), parents (60)
In the Classroom
Find reviews for all of the suggested activities on this blog at TeachersFirst: Practical Money Skills, Financial Football, U.S. Coin Classroom (was h.i.p. Pocket Change), and BizKids. Read the suggested classroom activities in the reviews to get ideas for using the tools with your students. Post a link, or embed the inforgraphic on your web page for parents and students to use at home.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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FutureSmart - EverFi and MassMutual Foundation
Grades
6 to 9tag(s): financial literacy (93), game based learning (167), money (119)
In the Classroom
Incorporate FutureSmart into your flipped classroom, assign different modules as homework. If integrating technology use in your classroom, try using an online bulletin board tool like Dotstorming, reviewed here, to have students post important decisions they made as mayor while advising citizens about their finances. Then discuss their decisions together in class. Allow students to make comments on the bulletin board during this discussion time, so all students will have a chance to express their opinions. Have students create a personal budget (or work in pairs to create an annual classroom budget) at the end of the course. Enhance learning by challenging students to create a presentation sharing what they learned using an interactive infographic like Infogram, reviewed here.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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SparkFun Tutorials - SparkFun Electronics
Grades
8 to 12This site includes advertising.
tag(s): circuits (19), computers (97), electricity (60), engineering (116), weather (155)
In the Classroom
Share SparkFun Tutorials with students competing in electronics or computer competition. Use tutorials as guides for projects in Makerspace classrooms or with after-school clubs. SparkFun Tutorials are the perfect challenge for gifted students. Encourage them to choose projects of interest either individually or as a group to complete as a "self-directed" lesson. Share the Wearables or Pokemon Go projects with students to show them this can also be for creating a fashion statement or patches for caps, backpacks, tee shirts and more. Be sure to photograph finished products for next year's students to view. Challenge students to create an "explainer" video tutorial for their project using Screencast-o-matic, reviewed here, and then share them on a site such as TeacherTube, reviewed here.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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The Stock Market Game - Securities Industry and Financial Markets Assoc Foundation
Grades
4 to 12tag(s): business (50), DAT device agnostic tool (135), game based learning (167), investing (5), money (119), stock market (9)
In the Classroom
Participants who register as "Teachers with Classes" receive extensive teacher support, including a searchable library of standards, curriculum materials, and assessments. While providing real-world practice, SMG engages students in the core academic subjects, such as math, English, and economics. Lesson plans include Teacher Background and materials to implement the lesson with students. Find more information by perusing additional publications, links, and other resources. Contact a local SMG Coordinator for additional assistance. Use the game in individual classes, school-wide, in after school clubs, or with home-schoolers. Encourage families to play at home together or collaborate with others. Additional benefits include higher math and financial literacy scores on tests by students who play SMG. Also, teachers report that the program even taught them about financial planning, research, and investing wisely. Because this is ongoing activity, enhance learning with the use of technology throughout. Have students share financial resource sites using a bookmarking tool like Papaly, reviewed here. In addition to curating and sharing bookmarks, Papaly allows you the opportunity to add notes and comments to sites shared. Have students use a video creation tool like Powtoon, reviewed here, to make explainer videos of financial concepts. Ask groups of students to produce and share podcasts (perhaps weekly or bi-weekly) to discuss their learning and progress within the Stock Market Game. Buzzsprout, reviewed here, is a free tool for creating and sharing podcasts.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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BAM! Body and Mind - Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
Grades
1 to 7tag(s): bullying (53), child development (24), dental health (15), diseases (66), human body (90), mental health (31), nutrition (132), safety (72)
In the Classroom
BAM is packed with interesting content and engaging activities. Use BAM with the whole class to teach a particular health or science topic using an interactive whiteboard or projector. Small groups and individual students can browse through the sections and play the interactives. Assign specific areas for students to complete at school or home as part of blended or flipped classrooms. Many downloadable handouts are available for classrooms with limited tech.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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KidsThinkDesign - Kids Design Collaborative
Grades
4 to 12This site includes advertising.
tag(s): animation (59), architecture (62), design (85), fashion (11), graphic design (51), makerspace (42)
In the Classroom
Share KidsThinkDesign with your school's art teacher as an excellent addition to art lessons or for ideas to use as a collaborative project. Share with students as part of career exploration activities to help them learn about the different areas of design and also try some designs on their own. After creating a design, have students upload a photo they have taken and add voice bubbles to explain what they learned using a tool such as Phrase.it, reviewed here.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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Banzai! - Banzai.com
Grades
2 to 12tag(s): financial literacy (93), game based learning (167)
In the Classroom
Banzai is an excellent resource for any financial literacy course, or for those who don't have financial literacy classes as an option for your school. Create your classroom account, and then provide students with a class code to sign in to their account. Create as many classes as you like then have students follow the curriculum including pre-tests, simulations of life scenarios, interactives, and post-tests. The Banzai tool grades it all. Set up student accounts and assign activities based on your state standards. Be sure to share Banzai on your class website for students to explore at home. Enhance student learning goals by having students reflect on their learning using a blogging tool such as Penzu, reviewed here. Banzai would work well for blended or remote learning since it works on any internet connected device, including tablets and smartphones at home.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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Gas Prices/Fuel Economy - US Department of Energy
Grades
4 to 12This site includes advertising.
tag(s): energy (127), fossil fuels (9), resources (86)
In the Classroom
Provide time for students to view the suggestions in Gas Mileage Tips and then report to the class about their findings. Create a survey for students to participate in (if at a high school) or to observe their parents driving patterns. Use a tool such as SurveyRock, reviewed here. Encourage students to suggest tips that their families can use to increase their gas mileage. Research the types of cars found in other countries and the average mile per gallon of the cars driven. Also, research the gas prices/gas tax in other countries to identify how gas prices/taxes lead to better choices in cars and driving practices.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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Free Money Basics Tutorial - Goodwill Community Foundation
Grades
6 to 11tag(s): banks (8), financial literacy (93)
In the Classroom
Use these lessons when teaching financial literacy or consumer education courses. Include lessons as part of applied math activities such as balancing a budget, managing savings, or understanding debt. Have students explore on their own. If you are beginning the process of integrating technology, have students create blogs to describe ways to become a good consumer using Weebly, reviewed here.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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Today - Parenting Guides - NBC Universal
Grades
K to 12tag(s): child development (24), learning styles (18), parent conferences (21), parents (60), preK (246), social skills (23)
In the Classroom
Share the Parent Toolkit with parents as an excellent resource for up to date information on education and parenting. Create a link to the appropriate grade level information on your class webpage to help parents understand developmental guidelines for their student. Share this site with colleagues during professional development to gain further understanding of academic and social grade level benchmarks.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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Home Food Safety - Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics
Grades
3 to 12tag(s): cooking (29), diseases (66), nutrition (132), safety (72)
In the Classroom
Use all of these resources in a Family and Consumer Science class or health unit on foods. Find great downloads that are of use to students as they begin cooking such as Kitchen Safety Checklist and Cooking with Microwaves. Allow time for students to look over the site and find information they did not know. Challenge students to create a one minute lecture series using Prezi, reviewed here, where they give their tips, along with researched information to understand the "science" behind the tips. You or students can create posters that remind students of best practices using a tool such as Web Poster Wizard, reviewed here, or PicLits, reviewed here. Have students create a checklist they can take home to evaluate the practices in their household. Report back on the most ignored practices that others should follow.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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Annotely - annotely.com
Grades
K to 12tag(s): digital storytelling (138), images (254)
In the Classroom
Capture a screenshot of websites or software and annotate with directions for student use. Have students label and identify objects in an image. Label parts of a plant, continents, landforms, etc. Practice new words in a different language by asking students to label and identify objects in that language. Create a storyboard using several annotated images as a story starter. Art students can annotate images to point out design elements or annotate images of their own work to talk about the creative decisions they made. Share annotated Annotely images on your class website or blog to tell about a field trip or class event.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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Inhabitat - Inhabitat, LLC
Grades
7 to 12This site includes advertising.
tag(s): ecology (96), environment (229), inventors and inventions (70), persuasive writing (55), resources (86)
In the Classroom
When discussing environmental topics, be sure to share this link on your class website or on a class computer for students to access information about great technological breakthroughs. Use when students are researching technological advancements of their choice. Challenge individual students or cooperative learning groups to read one of the articles and report their findings to the class, making connections to some of the topics you study. Have students create a simple infographic sharing their findings using Easel.ly, reviewed here or Venngage reviewed here. If you teach about advertising techniques inventions, challenge your students to select a "product" from this site to create a new advertisement using a specific technique. The innovative ideas will spark their interest! Use articles from this site for reading comprehension selections that will interest even the most reluctant readers. The articles are also useful prompts for persuasive writing or debates.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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