Special Assignments: Essays on Children / Infants

When I receive reports of child abuse, neglect, accidental injury or abandonment, I assign an essay to the alleged offender.  Just as in real life if you are reported for one of these issues you must go through a long process to prove your innocence or make restitution.

Essay assignments must be 2 pages single-spaced, size 12, in a readable font (Arial, Times New Roman, etc.) with standard margins.  Essays must be researched and sources included in a Works Cited / Bibliography.  This assignment is worth 15 points.

Assigned Topics May Include:

• Child Endangerment
• Child Abuse
• Child Neglect / Abandonment
• Smoking Around Infants / Children
• Top Causes of Death in Infants
• Losing Parental Rights

Important:  It is possible for you to be assigned more than one essay if you are accused of more than one offense.  If you are clearly not taking the project seriously you will lose your parental rights and fail this project.

Homework: Favorite / Family Recipes

When we return from Spring Break we will be begin 4th quarter by completing our "Living On Our Own" unit, following up on our portfolio organization, and then learning some additional computer skills.

One of the projects we will be doing will be to create recipe pages (2 or 3) with clip art and/or a photo of the dish.  I will take all [appropriate] submitted recipes and create a "KHS Life Skills Cook Book" which I will send with each of you.

What I want you to do is track down recipes for your favorite foods.  I recommend asking parents or grandparents for recipes that they are best known for.  It helps if it's a recipe that means something to you.  These are recipes that require cooking or preparation -- not PB&J sandwiches.  I would like you to choose at least one main dish, but the other(s) can be other favorites. 

Bring a list of all necessary ingredients (be specific if necessary) and basic instructions for putting the dish together and/or cooking it. 

Begin Research Project / Well Baby Checkup

Today you will begin your research project by doing the following:

• Choose a topic to research (see below for topics chosen so far)
• Create a new Blog Entry for your chosen research topic.  Use this to begin laying out your research findings.  When finished it will be in essay/research paper format.
• Keep track of sources (i.e. web sites) in your blog.

You will also be doing a Well-Baby Checkup (as scheduled).

STUDENT:	Research Topic	B/G
Andrew Ashby	Autism	B
Elisa Borg	Stay at Home Mom / Dad	B
Ashley Bolling	Pregnancy From Rape	BG
Chloe Brady	Gay Adoptive Parents	G
Emma Cardono	Reading to Children	G
Mayra Chavez	Drinking While Pregnant	B
James Cook	Children of Celebrities	B
Aaron Fultz	Kids Left in Cars	G
Thomas Graham	Equal Education for Children w/ Learning Disabilities	B
Clarissa Guzman	Abortion	B
Preston Herdt	Asthma	B
Shane Legere	AIDS / HIV	B
Ana Llamas	Marijuana While Pregnant	G
Zoe Lynch	Child Abuse	G
Eduardo Martinez	Child Abandonment	B
Gerardo Martinez	Abuse During Pregnancy	B
Savannah Mello	Foster Care	BB
Sarah Merodio	SIDS	B
Alyssa Mick	Prader Willi Syndrome	G
Erik Miller	Adoption	G
Faith Rodriguez	Smoking While Pregnant	G
Kyle Schmidt	Breastfeeding vs. Formula	B
Nathan Sherman	Heart Disease	B
Liliana Silva	Downs Syndrome	B
Sebastian Villalobos	Child Neglect	B
Gabrielle Wayment	ABCD Syndrome	BB
Dylan Welsh	Separation in Families	G
Baylie Williams	MRSA	B

Baby Blog: First Days of Parenting

Your assignment today is to log in to your Blogger account (or log into your Gmail account and then go to Blogger) and do a New Post called "My First Day as a Parent".  You should include the following items:

1. In the "If I Became a Teen Parent" assignment, did the response you received from your parent/guardian surprise you?  Discuss.
2. What responses to the flour baby project surprised you?  (i.e. What friends, family, or strangers said or how they acted)
3. In what ways should we have started this project differently?  (i.e. If we had it to do over again, how would you have started the project?)
4. What was the most surprising about the "Baby Costs" project?

If you already have a picture of your baby [or you and your baby] insert it into your blog.  If not, that's your homework.  :)

Beginning the Baby Project

Today we will be getting started with the Baby Project:

• Complete and turn in the Baby Costs project.
• Get your flour/sugar/masa/rice baby ready by making sure...

• it gets signed by Mr. Griffith.
• it has a face.
• it is dressed/protected.
• it is in a car seat with a restraint.
• Our first "well baby checkup" is today.
• You will be posting an entry on your Baby Blog Monday.

Remember some of these important items:

• If your baby becomes a distraction in other classes, you will lose points.
• If you receive reports of "endangerment", "abandonment", or "abuse" you may be assigned extra assignments -- mostly essays.
• If you need to leave your baby for any reason (work, sporting events, etc.) you need to secure child care at the rate of 50 cents per hour.
• If you drop, damage or break your baby -- come to me ASAP.

Good luck!

Gmail & Blogger

Our assignment for today is to get set up with a Gmail account and a Blogger page.  We will be using our Blogger pages to keep links, post assignments, post responses, etc.  Eventually we will be creating a blog portfolio of our work from this year.

• First of all, let's try Gmail:  Go to http://www.gmail.com/ and register for a new account.  
• Next we can go to http://www.blogger.com/ and sign in using our Gmail username and password.  It doesn't really matter which theme you pick because we can change that and customize them at any time, but for now let's avoid the "Dynamic" themes.
• Write down your Gmail username and password somewhere!  If you lose/forget it, you will have to start your portfolio over.

I will walk you through all of the steps in class to complete these, but there are instructions available here if you would like to complete this at a later time.

After completing the Gmail and Blogger setup, please email me at my work email (rgriffith@kvusd.org) and include the following:

• Your first and last name.
• Your grade level (9th, 10th, 11th, or 12th).
• Your blog address (i.e. http://_______.blogspot.com).
• Why you took this class / What you hope to get out of this class.
• Career you plan to have when you "grow up".
• Your hobbies (besides "chillin' with friends").
• Something interesting about yourself.

Lastly, I would like you to include (in your email) your experience with the following:

• Typing/Keyboarding
• Photo Editing Software (i.e. Photoshop)
• 3D Graphics (i.e. Bryce, Maya, Rhino)
• Microsoft Office (i.e. Word, Excel, PowerPoint)
• Programming (ActionScript, PHP, C#)
• Web Design (i.e. HTML, Front Page, DreamWeaver)
• Animation / Multimedia (i.e. Flash)
• Video Editing (i.e. Windows Movie Maker, Adobe Premiere, iMovie)
• Sound Editing / Mixing (i.e. Garage Band, Frooty Loops)
• Blogging (i.e. Blogger, WordPress)

When you are finished with these assignments, please feel free to customize your blogs.

Baby Budgets & Teen Parenting

Before we begin our research project, let's print, turn in, and discuss the results of our "First Year of Life" budget.

1. What was most surprising?
2. How much were the following "up-front costs":
1. Prenatal Care:
2. Prenatal Vitamins:
3. Hospital Charges:
4. Pediatrician Charges:
5. Nursery / Equipment: 
3. How much were the following "daily costs"?
1. Diapers (each) ______ x (per day) ______ = (year) $ ______.
2. Formula (oz) ______ x (per day) ______ = (year) $ ______.
4. So overall, how much would it cost to have a baby for just the first year?
5. If someone had completely free day care and just had to cover all of the other costs (diapers, wipes, food, formula, etc.), how much does it cost to raise a baby for one year?
6. What is the TOTAL cost of having a baby:  $________ to $________ for the 1st year.
7. If you work 8 hours per day (40 hours per week) at minimum wage ($8/hr.) for the entire year and never take a sick day, how much would you make per year?  $________.
8. After subtracting the cost of the baby, how much would you have left per month to cover rent, electricity, transportation, clothing, medical bills, etc.?

Before we watch the following video I want you to consider the following questions:

1. What sort of girl becomes pregnant as a teenager?  Picture that girl in your head.  Think about what they are like, what sort of things they do as a hobby, and what the guy is like that would get her pregnant.
2. If you were pregnant [or got someone pregnant] and wanted to go to college, what would you do to make it happen?

Research Project: Pregnancy, Infants or Children

On Wednesday I will be asking you to choose a research topic relating to pregnancy, infants or children.  I will not be giving you a list of topics because I want you to think of something that interests you.  No two students can have the same topic, so have a backup plan -- or get to me first with your topic.

I want you to begin researching your topic and keeping track of your sources.  I will be asking for references (we will use www.easybib.com to format them) and at least 1 related picture.  You can begin your research project in a new blog post which you can continue to edit, update and add pictures to as you work through the project.  When finished, you can post your project to the final location on the class blog.

Students will be added to a "community blog" where research reports will be posted for grading.  These research reports will be available publicly [and advertised to teachers for their feedback] so please take this assignment seriously.  This will be a 50 point assignment so it has a lot of potential to help your grade -- or hurt it.

Some of the topics that students chose in the past included child abuse, teen pregnancy, child autism, corporal punishment, infant vision development, adoption, Downs Syndrome, Goldenhar Syndrome, abortion, SIDS, effects of marijuana on unborn children, and more.  Sometimes it's better to have a specific topic (like a specific birth defect or nutritional supplement) than a broad topic (like birth defects or nutrition).

These will be resources out in the public domain.  People will be reading them and using them as informational tools.  Please take this assignment seriously.

Begin Baby Research: The First Year of Life

Even Sims Have Flour Babies!

This Research Project is due on Tuesday, 3/24 -- the day that you are required to bring your fully decorated, dressed "baby" to school for the first time.  We will do our first "Well Baby Checkup" on that day, then discuss the findings from your research on the topics below.  You will have Friday and Monday to research and compile your answers.

Open Microsoft Word and begin compiling information:
(Include links to online price sources)

UP FRONT COST:

• Prenatal Care: Including tests, diagnostic ultrasounds, doctor charges for the nine months of pregnancy. (Call physicians office)
• Prenatal Vitamins: Check Walmart, Kmart, or a local pharmacy for prices.
• Hospital Charges: Labor/delivery and anesthesia charges. (Call hospital)
• Pediatrician Charges: Well/sick visits and all immunizations. (Call pediatrics or physicians office)
• Nursery / Equipment: Crib, high chair, stroller, infant car seat, booster car seat, diaper bag, bottles, pacifiers, toys, baby/child-proofing supplies, diaper rash cream, wipes, shampoo, etc.

DAILY COST:

• Disposable Diapers (Kmart, Walmart).  Compare the same sizes from both stores and make a note of how many diapers are in each package.  Calculate how much each diaper costs and find an average price per diaper.
• Figure out how many diapers per day a baby uses (BabyStory, KidsGrowth, Babblesoft) -- Newborn / 1-3 Months / 4-6 Months / 7-9 Months / 10-12 Months.  Using the cost per diaper (above), how much will it cost per day (for each section) to diaper a baby.
• Figure out approximately how much [in ounces] baby formula a baby should use per day (BabyCenter) for a 6 pound baby / a 10 pound baby / a 15 pound baby / a 20 pound baby / and a 24 pound baby.  Compare that to the estimates for a Newborn / 2 month / 4 month / 6 month baby (KidsHealth).  On average, how many ounces (approximately) does a baby need each day?
• To prepare formula, you will mix one ounce of powdered formula with two ounces of water (to make 3 ounces of formula).  You will need to divide the total formula needed per day by 3 so you know how much powdered formula you need to buy.  Check out Amazon.com and find a good price for baby formula -- you might want to figure out the price per ounce to find the best bargain.  How much does each ounce of powdered formula cost?  
• How much is "baby food" (peas, carrots, applesauce, etc.)?  When do babies typically begin eating baby food instead of just breast milk or formula?  How much do they typically eat [up to one year old] per day?  What about "baby cereal"?
• What is your DAILY cost of a baby so far?  Add average costs of diapers, formula, wipes, baby food, cereal, etc.

ANNUAL COST:

• Annual cost of formula.
• Annual cost of diapers.
• Annual cost of baby food, cereal, etc.
• Approximate annual cost of baby clothes, shoes, coats, etc.
• What was your "Up Front Cost" (above)?
• What was the total cost of having this child for one year?

OTHER COSTS:

• Imagine that you are a single parent and you decide to take three months off work to have the baby and get him/her started.  Now your savings account is about empty and it's time to return to work.  How much will it cost to have your child in daycare/babysitting each day?  Each week?  For the next 9 months (about 270 days)? 
• What other costs might be involved in having a baby for a year?

GETTING HELP:

• What is WIC?  Who qualifies?  How can they help?
• What other resources are available for parents who need help being parents? 

Cute Video: Pregnant and I Know It

Letter From a Local Mom

Last year when I was preparing for the "Pregnancy and Parenting" unit, I posted on FreeCycle that I was looking for items (onesies, etc.) for my classes.  I received an email from a young lady named Amber who got pregnant while in high school.

The letter is attached:

Hi,

My name is Amber, I grew up in Lake County to loving if somewhat scattered parents. I went to high school and played sports. I got good grades and decent scholarships for college. I was 18 when I found out I was pregnant. I had all of these dreams that my daughter would be perfect and beautiful and I could continue school and we would live happily ever after. My friends threw a baby shower it was wonderful, they were as excited as I was to meet the new baby. When she came it was on a Friday night. None of those friends were there. They came to visit in the days after with gifts for the baby and stories of the parties I had missed and wouldn't be going to anymore. When the baby was sick, it was just she and I. I held her while she cried for days on end with colic. I cried with her while we were to tired to keep going, but she was in too much pain to sleep. The doctor's appointments were my responsibility. I had to feed us both. I had to work and find a babysitter that I trusted. I worked a minimum wage job since my education was on hold, (I had to quit classes to have time to work.) When the money from that job went to pay the babysitter and left little more, I got another job. There were days that I dropped baby off at the sitters house at 8am worked from 9 until 4 at a restaurant then picked her up for an hour or two and went back to work at a bar from 6 until 2am. I slept for around 4-5 hours a night and rarely saw my baby girl. I can still remember hearing her cry when I had to drop her back off at the sitters. None of my friends were interested by then, a baby is really cute for a few days or even a few months, but then it is time to get back to life. I could never afford a sitter to go out, or try to date. (A young boy doesn't stick around just because he fathered a child) My parents helped where they could, but really it wasn't much and my mother was still pretty mad at me for getting pregnant and throwing away a chance at an education and career. While children are a blessing, they also deserve to have a good life and a minimum wage job or state assistance does not provide even a facade of a decent life. Let me share a few things with you:

Children do not love you unconditionally. Children are little egomaniacs that you must serve, teach, protect and love despite how angry they make you.  Waking up at two in the morning to a toddler who has just vomited grape kool-aid and hot dogs on your pillow is not an ideal way to start the morning.  Babysitters don't watch sick kids, so you just lost a shift you really really need to make money.  There is no such thing as sleeping in. 6 am is about as late as it gets in my house.
I am finishing my bachelors degree... at 33 years old. And it is still hard to find a sitter. 

You cannot go out every night, you cannot go for overnights in Tahoe, Vegas or even down the street without the little one in tow and cute enough, but no one wants to party with a child.
There is no money for new clothes or bags or snowboards or anything because diapers are expensive.

I am saying all of these things with a smile because we are in a good place right now where I can focus on my family and my children. I do have regrets about having children to early. Lots of them. Please, please get an education, travel the world, party, skydive, and sleep in as much as you can before you have children. Good Luck to you. 

If I Became A Teen Parent

Today you will be doing the first part of a worksheet called "If I Became a Teen Parent".  You will answer some questions about how your life would change if you received news that you were going to be a parent, and then you will take home the questions for a parent/guardian (or other significant adult in your life) to answer.  If you're brave enough, try telling a parent that you ARE having a baby and get a more realistic response.  :)

Some of you may already be on your own, may already have a baby, or have already lived this experience.  If you are willing, please share your experience.

You're Having a Baby!

You recently realized you were going to be having a baby, and you've been doing your best to prepare yourself.  You've begun the process of doctors visits, buying prenatal vitamins, and getting exercise.  Now it's time for your ultrasound -- and finding out what the sex of the baby is.

I will be the "ultrasound tech" and I will run the check to determine what it is you're having.  I'll be using a computer program written to give you very similar odds should you experience an actual pregnancy.  There's approximately a 50/50 shot that you'll either have a boy or a girl.  But it's important to remember that approximately 1 in 30 pregnancies is twins -- and 1 in 720 pregnancies is triplets.

The "spinner" I use will determine whether you're having 1, 2 or 3 babies -- and what gender(s) the babies will be.  I will write the list down on the roll sheet and you can then begin preparing for the babies we will have -- our "due date" being 3/24.  You will be going into labor on 3/21 (when you bring your materials in) and preparing over the weekend and bring the babies to school on 3/24.

Beginning Consumer Awareness

We have spoken in detail about "consumer awareness" before, but I want to touch on it again so you will be prepared to be informed consumers when you leave high school.  We now know that we shouldn't get a car loan and we shouldn't get credit cards, but how else should we be prepared?

We'll start a video by Dave Ramsey today discussing Consumer Awareness.  I'd like you to answer the following questions in Microsoft Word:

• "Caveat Emptor" means ___ ___.
• Companies use every angle to aggressively compete for your ___.

• ___ of "90 days same-as-cash" contracts convert to payments which are usually at ___% APR with rule of 78's prepayment penalty.
• Discuss (as it relates to Product __________):
• Brand Recognition:
• Color:
• Shelf Position:
• Packaging
• 
  

The "Flour Baby" Project is coming soon...

I just wanted to give you all a "heads-up" that the "Flour Baby" / "Sugar Baby" / "Maza Baby" project is coming up in a couple weeks.  We will build "babies" that you will carry with you for two weeks as if it was your actual child.

All materials are due in class by FRIDAY, March 21st.  You will need to collect a few things by then:

• First and foremost, a 5-10 pound sack of sugar, flour, or maza (corn meal).  Checking in at a couple stores, I saw 5 lb. bags of sugar and flour for about $2.39.  If you care for your "baby" well enough, you can still use the flour or sugar when you are done with the project.

• Next you will need to bring a color picture to use as the "baby's" face.  You can find them in parenting magazines, advertisements, or on the Internet.  Try a Google Search (example) and print them on a decent color printer.  You can use some time today to look for these.

• You will also want to bring something to clothe the baby in.  I recommend a cheap "onesie" that you can pick up at a garage sale, a thrift shop, etc.  You may even know someone with a baby who has some old clothes they want to get rid of.  (Extra credit if you can bring extra's for your classmates)

• You will need a basket, car seat, stroller, sling, or other baby carrying device.  If you don't want to hold the baby all day during school, you will want something that you can sit quietly under [or along side] your desk.

• One diaper [unused].  We will go over the basics of diapering your "baby" in class.  If you are not familiar with the difficulty of disposable diapers, you may want to bring an extra.  (Extra credit if you bring extra's for your classmates)

Here are a couple examples from last year that I really liked -- the "parents" of these babies were a couple so their babies became "twins":

• Optional:  Items to decorate your "baby" such as doll arms/legs, pacifier, baby blanket, markers, construction paper, etc.  Here are a few examples of creative approaches to this project: