Special Snack

Goal: Plan a snack within a budget. Then, buy and eat!

1. What would you buy?

Choose a spending limit. Decide how the group will settle on a final shopping list (e.g., voting or choosing the healthiest list).

You’ll be making a shopping list with your partner. You can spend up to $25 for snack for the group. At the end, we’ll vote on which list to use.

Give each pair or small group a grocery store circular, pencils and paper, and if available, calculators.

 

2. Stay within budget

Children record items and prices. Suggest they round prices to the nearest dollar. If an item is $1.95, call it $2.

Once they get close to the spending limit, they’ll need to figure out exact amounts.

 

3. Finalize the menu

Ask each pair to explain how they made their choices and how they stayed within the limit.

With the group, decide on the final shopping list.

If possible, bring everyone with you to make the purchases.

 

Variations

Pet Purchases (Grades 3, 4, 5, 6, 7)
Involve children in budgeting for a pet. They research the cost of supplies and figure amounts they would need to spend each month and year.

Wish List (Grades 5, 6, 7)
Children come up with a fantasy list of things they would like to get for the after-school program, for a local homeless shelter, or for themselves. Make up an unrealistic spending limit— $100, $1,000, or more. Children use catalogs to “fantasy plan” what to buy and then make up a skit showing what they would do with their purchases.

 

Buying in Bulk (Grades 5, 6, 7)
If you buy snacks in bulk from a discount store, involve children in planning those purchases. Give them a larger spending limit. Print out online catalogs for them to look through to make their choices.

 

Books and Other Resources

Let’s Eat: What Children Eat Around the World (Grades: 3, 4)
Hollyer, Beatrice. NY: Henry Holt and Co. 2004.

Honest Pretzels (Grades: 3, 4)        
Katzen, Mollie. Berkeley, CA: Tricycle Press, 1999.

 

Spotlight

Estimating with money

Estimation provides a quick way to explore approximate costs of different combinations of items.

When children find exact answers with a calculator or with pencil and paper calculations, they can use their estimates to check. If their exact answers are not close to their estimates, they may have made a mistake.

Connections

Staying within a budget

Most adults keep to some sort of spending limit. They decide what they can afford, watch for discounts and bargains, balance necessities and treats, and determine trade-offs between cost, quality, and amount. This activity engages children in making similar sorts of decisions. Children consider what they would like, what they need, how much is left for extras, and whether to substitute cheaper items for more expensive ones.

Return to the activity

©2008 TERC, Cambridge, MA. All rights reserved.