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Why should an education system introduce the basic concepts of economics (as it exists today) to children at the elementary school level?
Assuming that it is a good idea;
What are the concepts and what is age appropriate?
How do teachers make real life connections?
Is it alright at this age to teach these concepts using literature and leave it at that?
Do these fundamental understandings stay with them in the long run?
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Gail . 50+
this being said, the idea of exchange can be taught in early elementary grades easily enough. But it's done in a very interactive way.
Some years ago, I provided summer child-care for 5 girls. Three were 8 and two were 10. One day, one of our craft projects was to create little change purses. I gave each child 5 pennies that they would shine with an eraser and put in the purses.
I quietly called the older girls aside and gave them each 5 more pennies for their purses, charging them with SECRETLY rewarding anyone they saw doing a kindness or something good. That was the instructions. They got to decide what was good or what deserved a penny.
Later, one of the younger girls, upon looking in her purse, said, "Hey! I have 8 pennies now!" The others checked their purses, and all had more than the original 5. A little while later, someone checked again, and there was another. Now very suspicious, she hid in the bathroom and spied through a crack in the door. (She said she was there a long time. I don't know how long) Finally, her wait was made worthwhile. One of the older girls was caught putting a penny into a purse.
AHA! the hiding girl yelled as she jumped out of the bathroom. The secret was out. Suddenly everyone was looking for ways to secretly reward a penny for a good deed, and without being told, they all figured out that the one with the fewest pennies sort of won, AND - that those with more sort-of won too. Their kindnesses had been rewarded & they had more to give away.
This is an example of one of the abundance economies. (We live in a scarcity economy). There are lots of economic models around. What we have is the worst.
Days spent looking for good things - priceless. DAYS spent trying to hide good deeds - FUN