Wednesday, October 26, 2011

Encouraging Entrepreneurship in Kids & Teens, Part Two

Last week in Part One, I wrote about how to encourage kids and teens to develop their entrepreneurial skills.  Today, in Part Two, I want to tell you about a great book for kids and teens, Lunch Money, by Andrew Clements, that will get them excited about starting a business.

Lunch Money is about a middle school boy, Greg Kenton, who has always been obsessed with making money.  Greg started with a lemonade stand and progressed to buying candy and toys in bulk to sell at school.  His latest business adventure is creating miniature comic books to sell.  However, when his long-time business rival, Maura, begins selling her version of miniature comic books, the battle between Greg and Maura escalates to the point of having their items (and businesses) banned from school.  The two kids join forces to convince the school board that student-run businesses are educational and beneficial for the school.  The story takes a close look at commercialism in public schools and the existing attitudes toward entrepreneurship. It also shows how students, parents and teachers can work together to successfully incorporate entrepreneurship within a school setting. 


Topics to discuss with your child after reading Lunch Money:
1.  What changes did you see in Greg as the story progressed?
2.  What products are advertised in your school?
3.  What part of Greg's speech do you think caused the school board to allow the new school store?
4.  What are investments?  Were Greg's investments wise?
5.  What talents or interests do you have?  Could these talents and interests be useful for a business?

Do you have a favorite book about kids and businesses?  Please share in the comments below.

0 comments:

Post a Comment