Welcome to my blog

Welcome to my blog, I am an artist turned illustrator/author of childrens educational coloring books.Because I believe we live in the best country in the world, I want children to learn about our country in a way they will enjoy. I think all kids like to color (even in our electronic world). While doing research for the books I learned that many parents don't know a lot about our country themselves, Some said to me " I should get the books for myself ". So I decided to do this blog, featuring each state as I research and illustrate it for the books. It is a fun way for young and old to learn about different states. Check the Visit the U.S.A. page.

Saturday, May 26, 2012

Arithmetic and making change

Last time we visited I gave the experience of a twenty-something young man working at a check out register who had a very difficult time making the change the register said was due the customer.

I said we could teach our children to count money and make change
 by playing " store" with them.
Someone ask me how to do that.

My suggestion is this:
Get a few things together that your child likes, and put a price on each one. Keep it simple, let's say nothing over $10:00.
Of course you will need $ 10:00 in change to play the game . I would suggest  1-Five dollar bill, 4- one dollar bills and one dollar in change, 2 quarters, 3 dimes, 3 nickles and 5 pennies.

Let your child choose the item/items they want ot buy, give the child a $ 10:00 bill and let them make the change, counting it back to you.
This will teach them how to count money and make change.

Another thing it will teach them is if they want more things than they have money for they can't have what ever it is until they save enough money for it.
They will learn they can't have everything they want if they can't afford it.
Do NOT give them the idea of a credit card, let them learn to save for what they want.

If you start young enough with this it will be a natural thing and not a burden.


Saturday, May 19, 2012

How much change ?

Grandpappy Happy and I were checking out at a register in a store, the casier was a young man who looked to be into his twenties.

The customer ahead of us gave the cashier a twenty dollar bill and the register read that his change was $ 2.89.
The cashier took 2-one dollar bills out of the cash drawer, then he looked at the eighty nine cents and looked at the cash drawer completely bewildered. After looking several times at the .89 cents on the register and looking again at the change in the drawer he finally took 3 quarters out , again looking at the register and the change drawer finally took a dime out and repeating the same thing took 4 pennies out and gave the man his change, looking very relieved that he had done it right.

The cashier was obviously not sure how to select the change to equal  the amount on the register.

I am telling you this true story as an example of one of the ways ( in my opion) we are failing our youth.
don't get me wrong, I love all of the electronic, didgital and modern conveniences we have, I just think we are failling to teach the BASICS first.

Just imagine, God forbid, our electonic system was shut down even temporially what would happen.

This is just a small example of what we need to teach our little ones and teach them when they are very young.
The lesson is so easy because we can play "store" with the little ones using real money and teach them how to count money and make .change.

They say some day we may not even use "money" as an exchange, but until then I think we are doing our youth a disservice by not teaching them the very basics of everyday life.

Unfortunately this is not an isolated incident, i have seen it several times before.

It might be too late for some of the older kids (I hope not), but Please lets teach our little ones so as not to perpetuate this ignorance.