The buying and selling of goods was full of real-world lessons for the second graders at Oak Hill. The process of opening their own shop took over a month of preparation. It started by studying a unit in Benchmark that focused on economics and how the market system worked. From there, the students either worked alone or with a group to come up with a product to sell that was made out of paper. They constructed a shop where there was a store window, the price, their slogan, a commercial script, a customer interest inventory, and a spot for a Yelp review. Each student was given $15.00 in Otter Cash to spend. They even created a safe in the back of their store for their money.
The variety of goods was stunning! There were kites, paper dolls, international flags in Dixie cups with plaster holding them up, paper flowers in vases, origami fish with googly eyes, paper airplanes with U.S.A. on their wings, paper purses with straps, bookmarks with stickers and glitter, paper sea creatures to play with, and the list goes on. They were tasked with coming up with their product and making a materials list.
Then, there was the design phase as well as the construction end of it. Next, the marketing plan had to be in place before they could open the doors to the public. On Market Day, students first went window shopping, then paid money for goods they wanted. They had a shopping bag for their items and went from store to store.
During the debrief after the stores closed, the students were asked to reflect on what they learned. They had a much deeper understanding of supply and demand, profit, entrepreneurship, bottom line, marketing strategies, customer experience, and product quality. One student ran out of product so he grabbed a piece of paper and boldly wrote “$10.00 to see me dance for 1 minute.” The other students pulled their money and he kept on dancing. Asking for permission first, the teacher said, “You are now an entrepreneur. Give it a try and see how it goes.” He became the richest student in all of second grade! The experience was a smashing success that left smiles on everyone’s faces and ideas for the future dancing in their heads.