Sophomores in Introduction to Psychology are wrapping up the 1st semester with the annual “flour baby” project, carrying sacks of flour dressed to look like baby dolls from class to class.

Infamous on campus, the project signals that students are nearing the end of the semester-long course.

Sophomore Katie Stephens said she enjoyed the project. “I like that instead of a write-up or research project, we can do something that is more hands-on and creative,” she said.

Meanwhile, sophomore Justin Lineweaver predicted that carrying his baby everywhere would become a burden later on in the week, and was “mostly excited to put clothes on a bag of flour.”

Instructor Ryan Boyd has his students do this project every year. It’s a “fairly popular” project among his students because the project is “more tangible and creative, and [students] like the idea of carrying around a baby that is very little responsibility.”

Boyd implements this project alongside his developmental psychology unit because the project reinforces material learned in class.

“I liked this project a lot because it made the unit we are covering easier to remember because you can have your baby in hand and apply all the information,” said Stephens.

Boyd has noticed that over the years, more and more students, “especially the boys,” keep their flour babies even after the project is over.

Lineweaver doesn’t think he will keep his baby after the project ends, but he intends on taking his baby everywhere during the project to get “the full experience.”

Boyd also considers the project an opportunity to advertise Intro to Psychology to incoming freshman. “If I didn’t have the project 1 year there would be fewer sign-ups for [the class]. I think it has an effect on kids,” said Boyd.

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