Human Growth and Development classes began their major grade flour baby project Nov. 18. This project consists of students making baby dolls out of flour and caring for them around the clock over the span of a week.
The Human Growth and Development class teaches students all about the development of a child from conception to age 18. This project specifically focuses on the growth and development of a newborn child as well as the physical, mental and economic toll it can take on a new mother.
“So my hope is that they’re going to take away that having a baby is so much more than just putting cute clothes on, there’s a lot of challenges that go with that,” Human Growth and Development teacher Nancy Whitney said. “We did yoga today, Mommy and me, and part of that was mental health. How to keep yourself healthy and how to bond with your baby,”
Students are responsible for taking their dolls everywhere with them just like with a real baby. They are also required to take photos and log time with their babies outside of school.
“Every class period they have to have a teacher sign that they had it with them and they took good care of it,” Ms. Whitney said. “Then there’s like a full log for a 24 hour period where they have to document every three hours ‘I will feed my baby, I’m changing diapers’ all of those kinds of things and then where they are and what they’re doing at that time with their baby.”
At the end of the project, students also get to make predictions about the cost of necessities like cribs, diapers and carseats. They then research the costs of actually buying these items and get to compare their predictions to reality.
“On some things the actual cost was much higher than what I thought, like car seats and cribs, but some things were actually much less than I assumed,” sophomore Emma Ball said. “The total cost for both was about the same.”
This project is not only an effective way to learn about the responsibilities of having a child, it’s often a memorable experience.
“What I loved about the project is that it shows you the responsibility of having and taking care of a child,” former Human Growth and Development student Addison McCoy said. “It’s such a fun project and I would do it again if I could!”
