Switched-On Schoolhouse FACS is Not Your Mother’s Home Ec

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I write the Switched-On Schoolhouse Series twice a month to share our family’s experience using this software based curriculum in our home.

When I was in Junior High I took three years of Home Economics.  I’m dating myself by telling you it was almost 25 years ago.  We’re talking old school, girls only, cooking and sewing.  Now I can honestly say I did learn a thing or two.  I learned foundational cooking and baking skills that have served me well over the years.  I can also sew decently, the most important thing learned from those units being hemming since I am only 4’9”.  But that was the extent of our learning in Home Ec…cooking and sewing.

Now perhaps you had a different experience but since I didn’t  I have been more than impressed with Switched-On Schoolhouse’s FACS curriculum (Family and Consumer Sciences).

FACS (suitable for both genders) covers not just cooking and sewing skills but so many more that are needed once a young adult moves out from under their parent’s roof.  Things like budgeting a paycheck, expenses of living (i.e. car related, leases, loans etc.) as well as banking and financial security.

There is an entire unit on Child Care, that combined with a first aid would satisfy a babysitting course for young teens that would like to earn some money that way.

What surprised me the most were the lessons on financial security and what to prepare and expect for in the event of a death.  While it may seem unnecessary and even morbid to discuss these things with Junior High and High Schoolers, they are lessons that will be used at some point, and they’ll likely be glad for having had them when the time comes.  My first encounter with life insurance and probate happened when my 30 year old sister became a widow, all of a sudden my husband and I were steeped in the ‘what ifs’ and panicking.

The Switched-On Schoolhouse FACS curriculum empowers students to manage the challenges of living and working with a Christian worldview, and enables them to apply their learning to real life situations.

Disclosure of Material Connection: I received the products mentioned above for free for review purposes from Alpha and Omega Publishing. I was not required to write a positive review and this product may not have the same results for all people, please do additional research of your own when purchasing products mentioned in reviews. The opinions I have expressed are my own.

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