Students will evaluate the dinnertime routines in their homes and propose ways to improve the efficiency of their food preparation and clean-up. Students will be able to use this lesson as the basis for their homework assignment and contest entry.

  Individual & Family Development (personal & family responsibility)
  Health (identifying specific nutritional needs)
  Food & Nutrition (meal management; food preparation)

  Copies of Re-route Your Routine Student Page for each student
 

See Contest Page and Rules for more details.

Getting Started: Begin by asking students to talk about their different daily routines. Compare and contrast students daily activities and schedules. Ask them: how do you fit it all in?

Activity

Explain to students that time management is an important life skill. Tell them that people have found ways to save time wherever possible in order to concentrate on other tasks. Ask students to brainstorm about specific tools that help them and/or their families save time. (Answers may include household appliances, computers, e-mail, the Internet, class assignment books, refrigerator calendars, planners, cell phones, and other things).
 
Have students fill in the Before timeline on the Student Page for a typical evening. What time did they get home from school? Did they have after-school activities? Did Mom or Dad have to work late? When did everyone arrive home? How long did it take to prepare dinner? When did they sit down to eat? When did they finish cleaning up? Ask them to plot each stage of their evening on the timeline.
 
Have students share their timelines with the class. Ask them to talk about realistic changes they can make to improve dinnertime, making it more efficient and suitable for their hectic schedules.

 
Ask students to try out Packet Cooking with Reynolds Wrap Heavy Duty Aluminum Foil at home using the Corn & Salsa Chicken Packets recipe on the Student Page, and then have them repeat the above activity using the After timeline. Did Packet Cooking with Reynolds Wrap Heavy Duty Aluminum Foil change the timeline? Have students compare and contrast the Before and After timelines and discuss how this method can improve a typical dinner in four areas: nutrition, flavor, ease of preparation, and clean-up.

 
Homework: Have students visually capture the new dinnertime scene in their household by taking photos, drawing, or creating a collage showing how Packet Cooking has changed dinner at their home. Encourage them to use these images to enter the Contest for a chance to win a laptop computer.