Of course, I like to start with a mentor text, or at least have some books available at different math centers. A classic is The Berenstein Bears' adventure with making money. What I like about this book is that it gives students a purpose for knowing how to count money, earn money, and use money, but it's presented in a fun, humorous way.
This next book, Money Mama & The Three Little Pigs is featured at the website Prosperity4Kids, and explains to kids the concept of 10/10/10/70. 10% giving, 10% saving, 10% investing, and 70% spending. Although this concept could be challenging for kids, this book gives an excellent visual and explains it in a kid-friendly manner.
Technology Connection: A+ Allowance App
Yep! There's an app for that too! This FREE app allows you to set up chores or jobs and assign dollar amounts to each one. What I love about this is that it's designed to be used at home, but I think it would be fabulous to use with a classroom economy! No more keeping track of money in student desks or having to check the board for how much each job is worth. It can all be done through this app. The best part is that at the end of the week it automatically divides it into the 10/10/10/70 concept to show them how much should go in each category. What a great concept and visual for students to start learning!
And finally, here is a counting money I have...Who Has? game. The game progressively becomes more challenging with the coins becoming mixed up in the second half of the cards rather than organized from greatest to least. It's only $1.50, and the kids will love it!
Alrighty, gotta run for the day! Happy hump day!
