Search Results for: blog kids and money early earners

Money Really Doesn’t Grown on Trees

One of the hardest things about being a single mom is having to say no so much. When you get divorced you learn quickly that if you don’t stand your ground the kids will walk all over you. Even if you’ve been the softie in the past you learn to stand up and say no. The kids don’t like it, and at first it may seem to make things worse, but once they learn you mean it, life just gets better. It’s always made me sad to have to tell Hailey no about things she wants that I just can’t … Continue reading →

What Your Habits Teach Your Kids

I’m filling in for Sara for a few days and I have to say, I’m a little nervous. What do I know about money that I can share with you? Since most of my life is consumed with raising my daughter to be a good person, and that includes someone who is fiscally responsible, I’ll start with what we are teaching our kids about money, and what we should be teaching them. Are your bills in a pile on the counter? A pile that keeps getting bigger and bigger while you ignore it? Are your credit cards maxed out? Do … Continue reading →

Consumerism and Mental Health

Just about every female I know is exhausted at the moment. The reason? Christmas and its after affects. While nervous exhaustion can be brought on by having to deal with families over the holiday period, this physical exhaustion is associated with shopping for gifts, cooking extra meals and the sheer work involved in organizing that once-a-year present and food extravaganza that Christmas has become. Ask many people what Christmas means to then and the answer goes something like this: A constellation of frantic demented activities by parents (usually the mother) over what to buy their children for Christmas. Trying to … Continue reading →

Kids and Money: Early Earners

A previous article, Teaching Kids to Save Money, described simple ways to encourage children to save more. A Families.com member posted a comment after that article, and later sent me a private message with more information about a website she co-founded, called Early Earners (thanks Ami). The site is a great teaching tool that will help parents explain the importance of saving money and how starting early will prepare them for the future. It also shows how Americans are spending beyond their means and how to avoid doing so. There are even calculators to show us how quickly saving –and … Continue reading →

Calculators in the Classroom

While eating lunch one day last week, some sixth grade teachers were discussing how their students struggled with subtraction that required borrowing. After the topic circled the table a couple of times, the conclusion was made that students are being allowed to depend on calculators too much. Many state tests and curriculums now allow students to use calculators for their math calculations. When I was teaching eighth grade pre-algebra, I taught my students how to use a scientific and graphing calculator. However, they could not use them on every day work or on the state test. Now things have changed. … Continue reading →

Cute Piggy Bank

Saving change adds up, even if you just save pennies. This project will show you how to make an adorable piggy bank to store all those pennies (dimes and nickels will work too, but not quarters). Items Needed: 1 two liter plastic soda bottle Craft paint Paper Black, white, and pink felt (optional) Scissors Glue Wooden spools Directions: First, paint the lid pink. Set aside to dry. This will be the piggy’s nose, so when dry, paint two nostril holes or draw them on with marker. Lay the bottle on its side. For legs, use wooden spools, dowels, or ping … Continue reading →