Money Saving Tip

Or Money Boxes?

So far ever fall, before we begin our studies, we seem to do a big art projects. The first year was our classroom mural. The second year was another wall mural. Well, we ran out of walls to paint. So, our painting project was much smaller this year.

This fall, we decided to paint money jars. The kids get an allowance each month. They will separate their money into the three jars. One to save. We make periodic trips to the bank to deposit their money into their savings accounts. Two to pay taxes. Tax money will be paid back to us parents who are doling out the allowance. This is new. I have, in the past, just taken this money out before I pay them. I have put that money into their savings area and it has become what goes into their savings accounts. This may change, but for now, they will need to save money on their own and the taxes will come back to us, so that they can see how "getting paid" works for working folks. I think it's going to be a bit of a shock to their wallets. And finally, three to spend. This money is theirs to do with whatever they want (and we parents try to grin and bare it when they buy cheap toys and candy.)

Learn Locally

Eat or Shop Locally? Why Not Learn Locally, Too?

Today's field trip took us to a local wheat mill. The tour included a lot of hands-on activities. The kids saw the big mill grinding the wheat into flour. They were able to make their own label and fill a bag oby f wheat to take home. They even ground their own wheat by hand. It took a LONG time by hand... maybe making a tablespoon each in about 5-10 minutes. Fun as an activity on a tour, but none of us were sure we wanted to do that as a way to survive, although we thought about what we would do while making flour (tell stories, gossip, sing).