A Practical Field Trip

For our Christmas celebration, the students voted to spend the day at National Harbor. I owed them a field trip (all field trips are earned), so I agreed. Students had to bring their own money. They got to choose their chaperones (groups could roam freely but had to stay with their chaperones at all times). When I told people about this "field trip" people asked me how this was educational. I will tell you in the words of one of my 4th graders (a discussion we had as we walked to Elevation Burger):
student: Ms. Anika I think I know why you took us on this field trip.
me: (grinning) Really? Why?
student: Because you wanted us to learn how to count and manage money
me: (smiling) yep.

So that little girl was in my group. She wanted to shop and eat, but she was determined to have some money left over. She had only $20. All day she would want me to help her add up her purchases. Eventually she was doing it on her own. She was looking at prices, counting her money on her own. When we got back on the bus she wanted me to see her wallet. She smiled as she said, "Ms. Anika I still have $2 left!" This girl bought a teddy bear on sale at Build A Bear, 2 Peeps, and had a grilled chicken sandwich with water (I shared my fries with her). I love how the math tutor (teachers are called tutors) was standing at the register as kids made purchases and taught a lesson on math and then she said, "Ok, folks this is Practical Math right here!" LOVE IT!