This activity has been revised and was originally created by Mary Jane Clark and published in the Perkins Activity and Resource Guide (1st edition, 1992). The second edition is available for purchase.
This hands-on activity teaches money concepts and estimating. Lessons include Independent Living Skills and Concept Development.
- Items purchased from the grocery or department store
- Index cards with prices in braille and print
- Take the students to the local grocery or department store to purchase items for this activity. This will help to give them an understanding of the cost of the items. Have each student choose and then pay for two items.
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Using real items from a grocery or department store, set up the activity as follows:
- Choose three objects which are grossly different in value.
- Give the student one card with a price on it (e.g. $2.00)
- Ask the student to match the price to the item he thinks is worth $2.00.
- If the student correctly matches the price to the item, let him decide what to do with the purchase. For example, if the student identifies the price of a bag of flour, he may decide the class cooking project will be baking a cake. Encourage students to share purchases with classmates.
Variations
Have several students guess the price of one item, and the student closest to the correct price is the winner.
Hint: When shopping, encourage students to compare various sizes and prices to select the best buy.
