Money Math Lesson

Once upon a time, my aunt and uncle made a grocery store for my brother and me.  Just some shelving filled with a bunch of empty cans and boxes, and a case that served as a holder for our "fruits" and "vegetables" and as a cash register stand, but we played with it up in an attic room for hours on end.

I couldn't help but remember that wonderful little store when I created one of my own for my own girls this afternoon.  My 2nd grader, a math whiz, is having a hard time grasping the whole money thing, so to give her practice, I created a game of it.

We don't have room for a store like my aunt and uncle built so I did the next best thing:

I printed out several sheets of play money.  I suppose I could have used Monopoly money but this was cute and served the purpose.  I skipped printing the coins -- I don't have the patience for cutting those out -- and used real coins instead.  For easier handling, I stashed the coins in snack baggies.

Next, I printed out some price tags and wrote a bunch of random prices on them.

My 5-year-old helped pick products out of the pantry (canned goods, box of rice, box of cereal, etc.) and we lined them up on the dining room table.  We attached price tags with tape.

I gave the girls some money and told them to go shopping.  I acted as cashier, with a bit of money of my own (for change) and a calculator.

Turned out, I didn't need the calculator because my big girl wanted to pay for her items individually -- all the better because it was more practice for her!

The little one worked on identifying the coins and bills to understand how much each was while the older one worked on paying for her items and figuring out what her correct change should be.

It was a fun afternoon and the girls agreed that I should save the play money so we could play again another day.  I think next time, we'll set up a clothing boutique!  That way, we can have a fashion show too!



 

Groundhog Day All Over Again

So the rodent saw his shadow - again.  Hard to believe that the world stops to see a groundhog coming out of his hole.  Even harder that they believe he is able to predict the weather.  Come to think of it, I wonder what his track record is against the meteorologists?!

Isn't it crazy how traditions come to be?  I mean, who came up with the idea that a groundhog would be able to predict whether spring was on its way?  And why this particular groundhog?  Was it a publicity stunt for the sleepy little town of Punxsutawney, PA?  It certainly helped to put it on the map.  People still can't spell it but they've at least heard of it, and judging by the size of the party going on there today, business is booming there this week.

From the Groundhog.org website: "The celebration of Groundhog Day began with Pennsylvania's earliest settlers. They brought with them the legend of Candlemas Day, which states, 'For as the sun shines on Candlemas Day, so far will the snow swirl in May...'"

If the snow's swirling here in May, you'll find me on a beach somewhere, sipping a mojito.  Somebody else can shovel.