Thanks for all the advice so far.
Hmmm....maybe maintenance would not be a good start. I didn't think I'd spend much time on it, mostly just cleaning around the bobbin case/feed dog area. Not completely taking off the top, oiling, etc. I purposely have not cleaned mine for awhile so they can see what builds up.
I have samples of the projects to show that first day so they will have an idea of what fabrics they want to buy. I was thinking coasters because it also involves learning to use the iron (fold 4 of the squares in half and press), simple straight stitching, and pivoting at corners. Bags are a good idea too.