“You’re going to have to do that in the real world.”
“In the real world, you have to finish your (home)work before you can play.”
“In the real world, sometimes you have to do things even when you don’t want to.” “In the real world, you have to save your money if you really want something.”

How many times have adults said this when a child complains about doing a task (which usually is boring, monotonous, or tedious) they don’t want to do? I am personally guilty of using these arguments before, and I bet you may have said this yourself. However, it should be a learning opportunity instead of using the “real world” as a threat or scary scenario. So let’s make it a simulation!

Many adults do not share financial information with their children. We don’t want our children to worry about our financial situation. This is done with good intentions of wanting to preserve their childhood innocence and not become neurotic about money. Still, sometimes we need to take advantage of valuable learning opportunities to teach our children about the realities of money. I teach in the heart of north side Chicago, and the cost of living can be high. Many students come from financially comfortable families, which can rub off on the students, who may not know the cost or expense of what they enjoy. This simulation simultaneously helps them work on math, money, and budgeting skills while building empathy and understanding as they realize that making ends meet is difficult.

Materials: 

·      Your students will need ample time with access to a computer

o   The students will use websites like Zillow, Apartments.com, and others to find a property to live in. They will need to use online calculators that help them find how much money they will have after taxes (based on where they live).

o   This can be an opportunity to show your students how to use spreadsheet applications to make graphs, or you may prefer to have them by hand make them.

·      For this project, the students (preferably) would visit a local grocery store to see the food prices to create a realistic weekly food budget. Optionally, they may have to go to another store like Target or Walmart to see the price of cleaners, makeup, and other consumable necessities. 

Age: All Ages, but probably best suited for upper elementary and middle school