Second grade is the perfect time to start learning about economic basics, according to Arcade Elementary teacher Jill Wilkie.
Mrs. Wilkie started up "WilkMart" in her classroom as a way for youngsters to grasp concepts that will hopefully stay with them for life.
"At the end of my unit on economics, I have the students participate in four learning centers to apply all of the new knowledge and vocabulary that they learned throughout the unit," Mrs. Wilkie said.
Center 1 is The Bakery. The students decorate cookies and are paid by the head baker for producing goods, if they did a quality job and followed all instructions. They can also receive a tip.
Center 2 is the Desk Cleaners. The students clean out their whole desk and wipe everything down with a wet cloth. If their boss approves of the quality of their work and cleanliness of their desk, they get paid for providing a service.
Center 3 involves Making a Budget. The students receive $300 in WilkieBucks in the morning as their "pay" for the week. They use their budgeting strategies to create a plan of how to spend their income at WilkMart.
Center 4 is called Pay Your Bills: The students get an Arcade Elementary "bill" that includes taxes, locker, computer, specials and lunch fees, etc. They must use their WilkieBucks to pay their bills.
Students had a mixed reaction to the unit. "They loved it!" Mrs. Wilkie said. "And frankly, they were a little disappointed and frustrated to have to pay their bills and taxes!"