When you were a child and went to the grocery store with your parent, how did your parent pay for the groceries? Most likely they paid with cash or check. Today our children see us using many alternative ways to pay for daily items like groceries. We often have the option to pay for daily items with cash, credit, debit card, or a gift card. What a lot of choices! All of these choices have advantages and disadvantages. This program introduces youth to the many different ways purchases can be made. It will help youth strengthen math skills by doing; explore the decision making process; build experiences based on knowledge; and, set goals based on available resources. They will learn the ways money can be used, about the different aspects of money, and keep track of opportunity costs of using money.

Instructional Materials

Teacher/Leader's Guide and 30 Cool Cash Adventure books. This curriculum is available on a loan basis only.

Illinois State Goals & Learning Standards

01A. Apply word analysis and vocabulary skills to comprehend selections.

01B. Apply reading strategies to improve understanding and fluency.

01C. Comprehend a broad range of reading materials.

06A. Demonstrate knowledge and use of numbers and their representations in a broad range of theoretical and practical settings.

06B. Investigate, represent and solve problems using number facts, operations and their properties, algorithms and relationships.

06C. Compute and estimate using mental mathematics, paper-and-pencil methods, calculators and computers.

06D. Solve problems using comparison of quantities, ratios, proportions and percents.

07A. Measure and compare quantities using appropriate units, instruments and methods.

10B. Formulate questions, design data collection methods, gather and analyze data and communicate findings

15A. Understand how different economic systems operate in the exchange, production, distribution and consumption of goods and services

15B. Understand that scarcity necessitates choices by consumers

15C. Understand that scarcity necessitates choices by producers

15E. Understand the impact of government policies and decisions on production and consumption in the economy.