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!

Ultrasound Tech: Baby Gender

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.

Extra Credit Assignment: Flour Baby Project

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

All materials are due in class by FRIDAY, March 6th.  If we are not here on Friday, you will need to bring them on Monday, 3/9 fully ready.  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:

It's a Wonderful Life

"It's a Wonderful Life" is a movie that was released almost 60 years ago -- in 1946.  It's about an angel who helps a compassionate but despairingly frustrated businessman by showing what life would have been like if he never existed.

At this time of year I show this movie for several reasons:

1. It's a good study of someone who has dreams of what they want to do but situations in life move them in another direction.
2. It's a good example of how finance in a savings and loan situation works.
3. It demonstrates a "run" on a bank.
4. It does a good job of showing how our great grandparents (and great-great grandparents) weren't really so different from us.  Whether we [or they] are willing to admit it or not.
5. It shows how a good, intelligent, hard-working person can still suffer from depression.
6. It reminds us that we don't always know the difference we are making in others' lives.

There aren't a lot of requirements for this movie other than paying attention and answering questions on the worksheet... so please do.  I have a worksheet for you to complete for the first and second halves of the movie which I will give you in class, but if you are not here and you would like another copy you can download it. (Here)

I'll be showing it in class, but here's an online version that you can watch.  It has poor audio quality, but it's watchable.:

Economics in the News 12/4/14

Ebola Knocked West African Countries Off Development Ladder
Sanctions and Low Oil Prices Push Russias Economy Toward Recession
OPEC Declines Action as World Oil Prices Hit Record Lows

Lab Day: Explore Web Domains and Web Presence

Today we will begin exploring a web presence for our new companies:

• First we will look at GoDaddy.com to see if our business name is available as a web domain
• Next we will create a Gmail account (if we don't have one already)
• Then we will create a blog using either Blog.com or Blogger.com
• Next, we will create a blog for our business and begin adding information about our business
• Finally, we will email Mr. Griffith (griffithr2@k12tn.net) with our blog address.

Packet: Unit 4 (Chapters 10 & 11)

Students received copies of the Unit 4 Packet covering Chapters 10 and 11 today.  Students will have Tuesday and Wednesday to work on the packets.  They are due on Thursday at the start of class.

There may be an addition assignment on Wednesday depending on how productive [and respectful] students are being to the substitute teacher.

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Remember, this is the last full week of Economics.  Make sure you get any missing work in ASAP!