When choosing baby gear to welcome home a new little one, there are many options. While some of these items are required by law,Baby.Equipment others are not. Therefore, choosing between high, middle and low cost models becomes an investigation to make the best decision based on one’s needs and budget. There are pros and cons to every choice. In this activity students will put their consumer skills to the test by using the internet to compare high, middle, and low cost versions of baby gear and then analyze the results.
Category: Consumerism
Recycled Sweater Challenge
Lately I’ve seen a lot of really innovative projects made out of old sweaters, especially on Pinterest. This got me thinking about what a great project this would be for my students to practice the concept of recycling or repurposing materials. So I visited my local thrift store and lucky for me they had a clearance rack of clothing, much of it old wool sweaters. I gathered as many as I could find into my cart and headed for the check out. The possibilities that could be made with all of these sweaters were endless! I couldn’t wait to challenge my students and see how creative they could be and teach them to recycle/repurpose as well as teach basic sewing skills at the same time.
Consumer Promotions Lesson
If you’re like me you’ve been at the cash register ready to check out when the clerk tells you about some new rewards card or store credit card offer that may sound appealing. To make matters worse you may have rewards credit cards that beg you to use them to earn points towards your next airfare, or cash back. You may have thrown up your hands and declared I’ll take no special offers or you may be one to take most special offers. How do you navigate in the world full of offers for EVERYTHING? Which deal is the best? This lesson gives students an opportunity to look at specific scenarios with REAL companies’ offers and do the math.
Frozen Pizza Comparison, Ingredient Investigation & Makeover Challenge
Teaching teenagers about nutrition and consumer skills can be difficult except when it involves pizza! Americans eat a frozen.pizzaton of pizza on a regular basis because it doesn’t require much time or effort and because it’s fairly easy on the wallet as well. However, do students really know which frozen pizza is the best as far as taste and money is concerned, what’s inside their favorite frozen pizza, how it’s made or even how to make a frozen pizza healthier? This lesson and all of its parts can be done in their entirety or can be selected in parts….it’s up to you and how much time you want to devote to this lesson and activities.
Popcorn: “Pop”pourri of Activities
The Life of a T-Shirt: NPR Planet Money Inspired Lesson
Thanksgiving Lessons, Worksheets, PowerPoints
What is the best family cell phone plan? Problem Solving Lesson
Problem solving is one skill that has to be taught. If you think about it, we really want students who can problem solve, not memorize a whole bunch of facts or methods for doing something. This lesson happens to be about cell phone plans since it is a problem that students can easily understand yet is more complex so even our brightest students will be challenged in figuring it out.
Social Media & Consumerism
This lesson is primarily one that promotes awareness and critical thinking about advertising and the subtleties that can influence consumers like students through a medium they are all too familiar with. I think of this lesson like an informatory discussion with your child about how not every person they meet is a safe person. This lesson is about teaching caution by thinking & researching before jumping on every trend and by analyzing the company’s point of view and intentions so students can make smart, informed decisions about what they participate in online.
Is Sam’s Club Worth It?: A Practical Analysis of Club Shopping
In adult life there are many practical questions that require problem solving skills and a little math. This lesson has students figure out the benefits and costs to joining a shopping club like Sam’s Club. Guide your students through a real life case study that requires lots of critical thinking, a little math and the chance to use Excel!