There are several classes that I highly HIGHLY recommend your kids take in junior high and high school. Foods class is definetely one of those. My son came home and raved about this chicken coconut curry that he made in his foods class. So we found the recipe and decided to make it for dinner one night. It turned out great!
The amount of curry in the recipe is perfect for those who are timid about curry. But we included some suggestions for making it more curry heavy if that's your thing!
But back to the classes your kids should take in junior high and high school. I'm here to help! Here are some of my suggestions but feel free to add some of yours!
Drivers Ed: I got my kids into this class as early as possible when they got their learners permit. They learned to park a car, drive a car, parallel park and learn spacing and distance with someone else's car and not mine. By the time they started using my car they were pretty decent at the basics.
Foods Class: Let them learn the basics in someone else's kitchen. I love being down the hall from the foods class at my school. Sometimes it smells great and sometimes it smells burnt. But at least I know it's not MY kitchen it's happening in or my pans with burned on food. 🙂 It's also a great tool for helping kids learn the basics of measuring, cooking meat, breads, pasta, etc.
Automotive Class: This is the PERFECT class and I should've sent my daughter through this one as she had NO clue what an oil dipstick was or how to check it before she burned through all the oil in her car and seized the engine. An automotive class to learn the basics is a great class for kids!
Financial Literacy: I think it's important for kids to learn about stocks, bonds, credit cards, balancing a budget and all the real world stuff they will need to know. My daughters financial literacy has even taught her about health insurance, deductibles and other types of insurance she will need. It's a must for any high schooler!
Construction/Carpentry/Plumbing: I can't tell you how many things kids DON'T know these days in regards to basic electrical, construction, plumbing and carpentry skills. But these skills will save you TONS of money down the road in expensive household repairs whether you are living in an apartment with roommates or you just purchased your first home!
Sewing: I can't even sew a simple button on a shirt. The other day when my son's hoodie tore on the pocket I let him know I'd need to buy him a new one soon. He told me he had learned how to fix it in sewing class and whipped out a needle and thread and had it fixed in a few minutes....saving me some money on a new one.
PS Shout out to my mother in law who sent us these personalized face masks!
Hair: Now that we are in the midst of quarantine I told the boys and girls I'd watch YouTube and give them haircuts. They looked at me like that was NOT going to happen...EVER! Now I wish I could've taken a simple hair cutting class and at least be able to do some simple cuts. It would save me a lot of money on hair cuts every year and would be a good skill to have now that we can't find a place to get a haircut.
What classes do you feel would be important for kids to learn in junior high and high school?
T's Food Class Chicken Coconut Curry
- 4 chicken breasts, cut into bite sized (aprox. 1 inch) cubes
- 2 ½ tsp curry powder (use up to 1 tbsp curry powder for a stronger curry taste)
- 1 ½ tsp salt
- ½ tsp black pepper
- 2 tbsp oil
- ½ yellow onion, chopped (approximately ½ cup chopped)
- 1 (14 oz) can coconut milk (full or reduced fat)
- 1 tbsp ginger, grated fresh
- 4 garlic cloves, minced
- 1 ½ tsp yellow and/or black mustard seeds (optional)
- 5 oz baby spinach
- For serving: cilantro leaves, naan bread, cooked rice, cashews
In a bowl, toss the chicken, curry powder, salt and pepper. Set aside.
In a medium saucepan heat the oil and onion for 2-3 minutes until onion is fragrant and tender. When cooked, transfer the oil and onion to a small bowl.
Add the cashews and mustard seed if using to the saucepan and cook for 2-3 minutes, until cashews are browned. Once cooked, transfer to a separate small bowl.
Add chicken, coconut milk, garlic and ginger to the saucepan and cook over medium heat, stirring occasionally until chicken is cooked and sauce has thickened (approximately 8-11 minutes). Add in the cooked onion the last two minutes of cooking time.
Once chicken is cooked, fold in the spinach and cook for approximately one minute, or until wilted. Serve.
Serve chicken mixture with naan or cooked rice and top with mustard seed, cilantro, or cashews.
Makes 4 servings.
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