Bringing Home Economics Into the 21st Century: Moms Talk

In a recent New York Times op-ed piece, Michigan State assistant professor Helen Zoe Viet called for home economics to be revived in schools.

Her argument was that young people learning how to cook for themselves would make them less reliant on fast food and processed convenience food, which would help fight obesity and other diet-related health problems.

In its early days, Viet pointed out, home ec taught students about the importance of healthy habits and hygiene.

Today, adults and children alike seem to do less and less domestic stuff. Kids aren't doing chores the way they used to, and thus aren't learning the nuts and bolts for taking care of their home, their clothes and their possessions. Parents sometimes find cooking and other chores shoved to the side in favor of supervising homework or being the after-school activity taxi service, depriving children of an opportunity to learn at home.

Let's talk home economics and its place in the 21st century. In an era of tests and school rankings, does it have a place?

If you were devising a home economics curriculum, what should students know by the time they graduate high school?

Here are some ideas to get you thinking:

• Iron a cotton button-down shirt.
• Plan and cook a meal following My Plate guidelines.
• Create a monthly budget based on an average entry-level salary for housing, utilities, food, clothing, entertainment, medical care, savings, etc.
• Fold a fitted sheet.
• Clean a bedroom and bathroom top to bottom.
• Make a favorite food -- brownies, spaghetti sauce, salad dressing -- from scratch.

Give your own ideas, or share your memories of home ec in the comments.

 is a freelance reporter with Patch. Julie, a longtime reporter and communications professional, is a first-time mom of a son born in November.

 works in public relations. She and husband Timothy have a daughter, Amara. Monina is also a member of the Disney Moms Panel, one of 15 moms selected nationwide, advising people online about planning Disney vacations.

 is a mom of three children ages 5 and under with her husband, Bill. They are expecting their fourth child this winter. She also works part-time.

 is a native of New Jersey. She is a marketing professional who has worked in advertising, market research, vending and equipment companies. She and her husband live in Avon with their two children.

 is a mom to a Girl Scout and lives in Avon.

 is the newest member of the  and past president of Avon Early Childhood PTA. She will also be blogging for Avon Patch. If you're a parent and want to share your experiences raising children in Avon, you, too, can .