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Visit these sites for a wealth of information about money. April has been designated as "National Financial Literacy Month!" Does money really grow on trees?
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Personal Finance
From the Council for Economic Education
“Use these lesson plans to teach your students the basics of personal finance: earning an income; saving and investing; credit and spending; and money management and budget.” You can find lessons plans for teaching K-12 students personal finance skills. |
Fed 101: The Federal Reserve Today
From the Federal Reserve Bank of Kansas City
“This website, sponsored by the Federal Reserve Bank of Kansas City, teaches kids about the functions of the U.S. Federal Reserve.” It also includes:
• The Life of a Check
• The Life of a Dollar Bill
• Where’s the Money
• Examiner for a Day
• Bank Presidents
• Games |
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Student Credit Cards: Establishing an A+ Credit History
From StudentMarket.com
"A good look at credit for young people, created by StudentMarket.com, Inc. in conjunction with the Credit Counseling Service of Southern New England, including a clear explanation of interest rates, grace periods, annuals fees, etc." |
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The Federal Reserve Kids Page
From the Federal Reserve Board
"The Federal Reserve System, also known as 'The Fed,' is the central bank of the United States. It was created to provide the nation with a safer, more flexible, and more stable monetary and financial system. Learn more about this agency and take a fun quiz!" This site is also available in Spanish. |
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Jump$tart's Reality Check
From The Jump$tart Coalition for Personal Financial Literacy
"Okay...we're not going to bore you with a lot of details here. Simply put: we want you to imagine how you want to live once you're on your own. What kind of car are you going to buy? Where are you going to live? Do you love to go to the movies or to the clubs every weekend? Remember, it's your life, you can do whatever you want...or can you? Imagine the possibilities...then take our simple test. Fill in your choices and then get ready for a reality check! Chances are you'll be surprised by how much your so called "Dream Life" is going to cost you. Once you've taken the test, we will show you what it takes to live the life you want and what you'll need to do to get you there. We'll even give you the list of careers that support your lifestyle. Now that's cool! Think you're ready for the challenge?" |
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Hands On Banking
From Wells Fargo Bank
"Welcome to the Hands on Banking® program! Want to take charge of your own finances and reach your goals? Just pick your age group and get started! Whether you want to build your credit, your investments, or your own small business; invest in the market, a home, or higher education; shop for a loan, buy a car, or open your first bank accounts, the Hands on Banking program offers all the basic money tools, skills, and information you need." For Adults, Young Adults, Teens, and Kids - money skills needed for life: how to budget, save your money, banking, and spending your money wisely. |
Sense & Dollars
From Maryland Public Television
"Think you know about money? But how much do you really know about where it comes from and why we use it? Check out these cool facts and hot resources." "Have you got the juice to run your own business? Take our quiz and find out!" "Just how many burger-flipping hours will it take to buy a new stereo for your room? Find the answer here, using our cool calculator!" All this and more! "A user-friendly blend of text and interactive games for middle and high school students." |
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Orange Kids
From ING Direct
"Discover Planet Orange, and open your eyes to the world of money! Brave the desert, climb mountains and dodge alligators while you explore everything there is to know about earning, spending, saving, and investing." "The Teachers Resource Center offers 20 downloadable lesson plans focusing on financial topics designed to complement your existing curriculum. They’re all on printer-friendly worksheets." The lesson plans include:
• Journal Entries
• In-class Activities
• Games and Quizzes |
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Wise Pockets World
From the Center for Entrepreneurship and Economic Education
"A koala bear named Wise Pockets tells stories about responsibility and other financially-related values for younger children. At the completion of the story, users answer questions about the story and rewarded with printable activities and game memorabilia." "Designed for children in grades three to six, this website shows parents and teachers how to use popular children's books to teach kids about money." |
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Consumer Jungle for Students and Teachers
From consumerjungle.org
"Consumer Jungle is an interactive, web-based program that helps high school students become literate, savvy consumers. Consumer Jungle provides engaging and relevant consumer education curricula covering a variety of topics such as credit cards, transportation, living on your own, personal finances, telecommunications, health, and e-commerce fraud. Developed with input from teachers, students, and parents, Consumer Jungle delivers interactive games, activities, and relevant information directly to the home or classroom." "For older teens, this Web site is loaded with detailed information on topics such as buying a car, deciphering credit-card agreements and renting an apartment." |
National City for Kids
From National City Bank
Learn more about banking and money on this site, designed just for kids! National City's Student Savers Clubhouse is for grades K-5. |
Want to Be a Millionaire? You Can!
From The Motley Fool
"A teen-oriented section on the Motley Fool investing site."
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A History of Money
From History for Kids
"Who first used money? What did the first money look like? Why is money useful?" This is a picture of a Chinese bronze coin from the Han Dynasty. |
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Currency and the Fed
From the Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis
"In this lesson, students consider who is pictured on the different denominations of U.S. currency and why. They participate in an activity to identify functions of basic, everyday items and then identify and explain the functions of another basic, everyday item—money. Students learn some basic facts about money as well as some basics about the Federal Reserve System. In addition, they describe the Federal Reserve’s role in the distribution of money by identifying features of the $5 note.” For Grades 8-12. |
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Saving for a Goal Calculator
From Bankrate.com
Learn how to long it will take you to save for a special gift. |
Literature Connection
From KidsEcon Posters (Indiana Council for Economic Education)
“From this page you can access specific lessons based on popular children’s books that will help you teach (economic) concepts to your students. The heart of each lesson is a set of guided questions about economic concepts found in the book. Some books can be used to teach several different concepts." A great resource! |
Activity Center
From Heartland Bank
"Learn more about your money and have fun with these coloring pages." Pictures include "Types of Money," "How to Budget," "Save for the Future," and "What Is Interest?" |
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The Stock Market Game™
From The Stock Market Game™
"The fun and interactive Stock Market Game™ Program lets students invest $100,000 in a real portfolio, tracks the results and teaches important life and investment lessons. It also reinforces important skills and concepts like mathematics, social studies, and economics, to name a few. Teachers must register before bringing the SMG Program to the classroom." |
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Abraham Lincoln and the Five Dollar Note
From the Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis
“In this lesson, students participate in a puzzle activity to identify leadership characteristics that Abraham Lincoln possessed. They review the changes in the redesigned $5 note and consider how Lincoln’s leadership characteristics contribute to the fact that he is pictured on the $5 note. Students look at a timeline of Lincoln’s life and identify significant events in his road to the White House. They play a game to review content learned in the lesson.” For Grades 5-8. |
Spring 2008 Newsletter
From the United States Mint
"Welcome to the spring 2008 issue of Making Cents, the online newsletter that tells you what's new and striking at the United States Mint. Be sure to check back every 3 months for a new issue." |
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Ancient Greek Coins
From History for Kids
"When did the Greeks start making coins? What did Greek coins look like? What were they made of?" This is a picture of a coin from Athens. Do you know why there is an owl on the coin? |
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FDIC and Carmen Cents
From the FDIC Learning Bank
"This site tells you the who, what, when, where and why about this agency - with a little help from Carmen Cents!" |
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H.I.P. Pocket Change™"
From the United States Mint
"The United States Mint H.I.P. Pocket Change™ web site, launched in July 1999, is a fun educational tool for students and teachers that generates interest in coins, the United States Mint, and U.S. history." This site contains a wealth of information about coins, including games and historical information from the U.S. Mint. Cartoons, a Time Machine, Coin News, Camp Coin, and much, much more can be found here! Do you recognize the nickel? |
The Allowance Room
From the Canadian Imperial Bank of Commerce (CIBC)
"The Allowance Room has 15 cool clickable items just for you. Click on any item, and the Money Machine will figure out how long it will take you to save up your cash." "In this interactive game sponsored by the Canadian Imperial Bank of Commerce featuring allowances, kids explore 'must-have' items, find out their cost, and determine how long it’ll take them to save enough money to pay for them." |
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KidsBank.Com
From Sovereign Bank
"KidsBank.Com is a tutorial website brought to you by Sovereign Bank that explains the fundamentals of money and banking to children. Characters such as Penny and Dollar Bill tell kids stories about the history of money and the fundamentals of saving, spending, and investing." |
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Sweepstakes Winner!
From the Secretary of State in Illinois
"Lucky You!!! Remember that sweepstakes you entered? Well, you won!!! Now you need to decide what to do with all this money and see what happens." Kidsinvest provides the examples. |
Money Smart Week® Illinois 2009
From the Federal Reserve Bank of Chicago
"Money Smart Week® Illinois will take place April 18–25, 2009 in Bloomington/Normal, Champaign/Urbana, Peoria, Rockford, and the Capitol Area in and around Springfield." If you go to the Chicago Fed Money Museum, 230 South La Salle Street, Chicago, IL 60604-1404, you can view millions of dollars in various denominations, learn to detect counterfeits, and see how the Federal Reserve System impacts your life. Before you visit, you can preview the museum at the Virtual Money Museum online. |
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Lesson Plan on Revolutionary Money
From Smithsonian Education
"Unlike the Spanish colonists to the south, the English settlers of our original thirteen colonies found no gold or silver among the riches of their new land. Neither did they receive great supplies of gold and silver coins from Britain - money was supposed to move the other way, to the mother country, in exchange for goods. The monetary system in the colonies was 'notable because it was based on thin air,' says Smithsonian numismatics curator Richard Doty in his book. To make up for the lack of currency, the colonists would 'replicate and create, try, reject, and redesign every monetary form ever invented anywhere else.'" |
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GATE - Global Association of Teachers of Economics
From the Council of Economic Education
"GATE is a global membership organization sponsored by the Council for Economic Education exclusively for K-12 teachers and others who are interested in economic, financial and entrepreneurship education." When you join GATE (it's free), you will have access to a great deal of economic information! The May 2009 newsletter has the following free lessons:
• What Is Money? – Grades K-2
• Exchange For Goods and Services – Grades K-2
• A Colonial Market Place – Grades 4-8
• A Pet For Beans From ‘Jack And The Beanstalk’
• Investing Internationally: Currency And Value Changes – Grades 9-12
• Foreign Currencies And Foreign Exchange – Grades 9-12 |
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Quarter Explorer
From the United States Mint
"Kids can help Bill the Mint Buffalo explore the country from sea to shining sea and quarter to shining quarter. The more quarters they earn the nicer the trip can be." |
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