By By KAREN L. HARRIS / Vigilant/Argus
EDWARDSBURG - The entrepreneurial spirit is alive and well at Eagle Lake Elementary School.
Second grade students in Mrs. Goyings' and Mrs. Swihart's classes participated in Market Day on Tuesday to mark the end of a unit on economy and free enterprise.
According to Mrs. Goying, “We just wrapped up a unit on economics and the students learned some important terms, such as product and natural resource. This assignment puts these terms and concepts into a practical application.”
Students were assigned to develop a product to be made and sold.
They then had to come up with a company name and a sign to market their product at Market Day.
After they made their products, they had to list all the natural and man-made resources they used and the total cost of them.
They also had to determine the amount of labor that went into making their product.
From there, they set a suggested retail price, with a profit margin included.
Amelia Montgomery, 7, made “Eddies”-themed bookmarks with ribbons, rick-rack and paint for her company, “Mark Your Page Bookmarks.”
Each of Amelia's bookmarks cost her 51 cents to produce so, she set a retail price of $2 for each one.
Other students manufactured equally creative products to sell at Market Day.
Youngsters could purchase pens, bracelets, painted rocks, morning glory seeds, bird feeders and decorated folders, among other items.
Mrs. Goyings' class earned Go-Bucks while Mrs. Swihart's class received Bonus-Bucks.
She added, “I have a little store in my classroom. Every Friday the students can purchase items if they want. There are things like little Tootsie Rolls and stickers. Or, they could save their money for Market Day. Some kids wanted to spend every Go-Buck they got right away and some were savers. So they learned about the importance of saving.”
Amelia spent most of her money throughout the year but did save four Go-Bucks for Market Day.
She had her eye on sand art when it was her turn to shop.
After a slow start on Market Day, Amelia sold all of her bookmarks.
Her classmate, Abigail Smith, purchased the last one.
When asked if she had more fun making her product or shopping on Market Day, Abigail didn't hesitate to answer.