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The Thomson Elementary School gym became a bazaar Friday as third-graders peddled services and wares they created for the fourth annual Market Day.
The event is the culmination of a unit on economics the children have been studying.
For two months, students have been earning money by helping out around the classroom and for good behavior such as turning in their homework on time.
They also interviewed for classroom jobs, and those who were “hired” earned more money to spend at Market Day.
Students learned about taxes because they were charged for their earned income. They also became entrepreneurs by creating businesses for the day. Booths ranged from nail salons to face-painting to games. Some booths were mini-stores peddling items, including baked goods, rings, bracelets, bookmarks and hats, many of which were made by the students.
“Those are the types of things we have them focus on because that’s what they should be learning, most people think out of a book. We just like to do it hands-on,” said organizer Tabitha Purvis.
Riley Collins, 9, sold rockets, bookmarks, chip clips and bracelets. He said the event taught him about supply and demand.
“There might be a scarcity if there’s only two but there’s five people,” he said. “You make the price higher so only two people can buy it.”
Mario Hall, 8, sold brownie pops he made with his mother. He said he chose to sell them because they are sweet and they looked like fun to make.
After the event, students wrote about what they learned. “That (way) we’re able to link this experience to the book-learning they did in their room,” Purvis said.
