Centsible Kids and Choice-A-Quence showcased at ASTRA toy show!

We are excited that Best of Best Toys will include our games in their booth at the ASTRA toy show in Phoenix, Arizona June 8^th – 11^th.   ASTRA’s focus is on toy stores looking for, “specialty toys, which generally are designed with a focus on what the child can do, rather than what the toy can do.”  

We are proud to make learning games that fit within the ASTRA focus.   Best of Best Toys is also a company with which we are proud to be associated.  They work with retailers, small brick and mortar toy stores, across the country. 

Two of our games, Centsible Kids and Choice-A-Quence will be showcased in the Best of Best booth. 

If you are one of the lucky people to be playing in Phoenix this weekend, stop by booth 1223!

www.lets-choose.com

Learn language skills with a treasure hunt!

Last week we shared ideas about how to modify our Centsible Kids game, and with the modification seed planted in our brains, we've decided to continue with a spring bent on it....

An Easter egg or basket hunt!

Many families already put together a treasure hunt for this holiday.  We're proposing modifying it a bit to challenge children's language skills.  Instead of just going out to look for the eggs, give verbal or written clues for each hiding place.  For example, you might say to a younger child, "I spy a yellow egg under a short plant with lots of buds on it, and this plant is by the porch."  The child should look under the bushes.  Using descriptive language like in the example allows for 2 important things:

1. You are providing the pattern of definitions.  Stating the category (plant) and important attributes (lots of buds, short) as well as function, are the keys to clear definitions.

2. Children have to listen to longer pieces of information.  Since the hunt is motivating, children will listen to more complex bits of information.

For children who are able to read, you can put clues inside the eggs to lead them through the hunt.  Again, descriptive language can be a nice challenge for any child - typically developing or with language learning issues.  As older kids start to lose interest in the hunt, engage them in creating and giving clues to the younger ones.

Whatever your traditions are at this time of year, a treasure hunt outside can be great fun!

April is Financial Literacy Month!

We were just reading on Edutopia that April is Financial Literacy month and we are excited because this dovetails nicely with our plan to share how to modify Centsible Kids.  

While the game is designed for children ages 9-14 it is easy to modify our money math game for younger children.  If children are learning about the value of coins and how to count them, one fun idea is to use actual coins with the game.  

In the example for selling pictures for $.20 each, the parent or teacher would write the amount on the game card, and would have the child count out nickels to add up to $.20.  

Tailor the experience to your child’s or student’s ability.  Use pennies with the youngest child counting by ones.  If needed you may use mixed coins and have the child record amounts.  

With older students, I made a calendar to be used as a game board, rolling a die and moving a game piece.  Each date on the calendar had an action to complete - like compute a salary if you are paid $8.25 for minimum wage for 2 weeks, subtract 10% for income tax, or choose a green card and earn money.  

We encourage our users to individualize the game experience to make it challenging at just the right level for their needs.  We would like to hear how you choose to use Centsible Kids!

www.lets-choose.com

Learning about finances with the Centsible Kids game

While we were in Dallas at the Ed Expo, it was fun to see how people would gravitate toward the Centsible Kids game. As we talked about it, they were excited about how important finances are to them, their children, and/or grandchildren.

In particular, people from Texas were looking for products as their state has new standards regarding financial education. Everyone we talked to stressed the importance of financial education starting in elementary school. Thanks to someone we met at the show, we were sent an easy to read list of the Texas Essential Knowledge and Skills Standards. They state that starting in kindergarten, children are expected to:

• Identify ways to earn income,
• differentiate between money received as income and money received as gifts, and
• distinguish between wants and needs and identify income as a source to meet one’s wants and needs

As children progress through the grades, more skills are expected, and we believe that Centsible Kids helps address all of them. 

We’ve continued to research more about the Common Core Math Standards and have found other sites out there that help teachers apply the standards in a broader way. For example, in second grade, the math standard states that children are expected to:

• Solve word problems involving dollar bills, quarters, dimes, nickels and pennies, using dollar and cent symbols appropriately.

Some sites have extrapolated this to help teachers teach financial literacy, such as delayed gratification and saving money - which Centsible Kids definitely does.

Come back next week when we will share ideas about how to modify Centsible Kids to work with children of different age and skill levels.