Child Development & CTE

Posted Date: 02/16/2024

LHS students in Mrs. Debra Sallye's CTE Child Development Class were caught right in the middle of childbirth simulation labs. These Child Development students were having fun learning about pregnancy, using Empathy Bellies. These are specially designed, weighted vests that allows teen males and females to experience pregnancy firsthand and gain a realistic understanding of what it feels like to be pregnant. These 30-pound bellies made both boys and girls stand in the shoes of a pregnant lady so that they could learn empathy for the task as they could feel pressure, shortness of breath, and movement! Mrs. Salley had them perform daily tasks while wearing the belly like going upstairs, tying shoes, getting in & out of bed, picking up items off the floor, and more. A childbirth lab followed the pregnancy lesson! Students had to push a ping pong ball out of a blown-up balloon. This activity reinforced what students had learned about labor and the birthing process. The balloon represented the uterus, and the ping-pong ball the baby. Boys and girls alike had to push the baby through the cervix to deliver the baby. Thank you, Mrs. Salley, for designing a fun way for students to experience childbirth that they will remember! The CTE Child Development class is essential to understanding children's physical, intellectual, social, and emotional development to become better parents later in life!