stores
Goal 17: Acquire rudimentary ideas of how goods and services are produced, exchanged, and consumed.
Materials: Set up a store in the classroom. Stock it using materials gathered from shops, families, and other sources. This may be general merchandise as in a department store, grocery store, or specialty shop. Include cash registers, bags for packing, order forms, pencils, chalk boards (to write specials on), and plastic grocery carts.
Procedure: Initiate the study with a trip to a grocery store. Prime children to look for what is sold, how items are displayed, how money is exchanged, and who works in the establishment. This field trip can be repeated at the end of the unit as a culminating review activity. Back at school, hold a discussion focusing on the issues outlined previously. Help children figure out the roles of seller, customer, re-stocker, and so on. decide as a group what the medium of exchange will be (paper money, barter for other goods and services, play money).This can be made by the children at an art table, as well as signs for the store. Help the students to make shopping lists. Occasionally, introduce real food items or a variety of sizes and styles of clothing, making sure to fairly represent children's experience in their home or neighborhood.
To Simplify: Set up a grocery store or farmer's market, whichever students are most familiar with.
To Extend: After several days, pose questions such as where the items might come from, how they are produced, or manufactured, and how they got it to the store. In addition, discussions can be held regarding how people get the money they spend in stores. These issues can lead to a future theme or project. A further extension is for older children to offer a store the rest of the school to raise money for charity or a class trip.
Materials: Set up a store in the classroom. Stock it using materials gathered from shops, families, and other sources. This may be general merchandise as in a department store, grocery store, or specialty shop. Include cash registers, bags for packing, order forms, pencils, chalk boards (to write specials on), and plastic grocery carts.
Procedure: Initiate the study with a trip to a grocery store. Prime children to look for what is sold, how items are displayed, how money is exchanged, and who works in the establishment. This field trip can be repeated at the end of the unit as a culminating review activity. Back at school, hold a discussion focusing on the issues outlined previously. Help children figure out the roles of seller, customer, re-stocker, and so on. decide as a group what the medium of exchange will be (paper money, barter for other goods and services, play money).This can be made by the children at an art table, as well as signs for the store. Help the students to make shopping lists. Occasionally, introduce real food items or a variety of sizes and styles of clothing, making sure to fairly represent children's experience in their home or neighborhood.
To Simplify: Set up a grocery store or farmer's market, whichever students are most familiar with.
To Extend: After several days, pose questions such as where the items might come from, how they are produced, or manufactured, and how they got it to the store. In addition, discussions can be held regarding how people get the money they spend in stores. These issues can lead to a future theme or project. A further extension is for older children to offer a store the rest of the school to raise money for charity or a class trip.
