Personal Finance Simulation: Grocery Store Field Trip - Connecting Math to Real Life

Think back to the time when you were a little kid and you were asked what you wanted to be when you grew up. A fireman? A doctor? An astronaut? Kids emulate the adult world through play, learning through imitation, and immersion.

That dynamic has not changed since we were young. Kids still navigate their way to their future selves through play. That’s life!

My aha moments tap me on the shoulder when I notice that every time I connect what we’re doing to the real world, I have buy-in from my students. And the best way to do that is through simulations.

The idea for That’s Life, Personal Finance PBL Simulation sprang from a generic decimal practice worksheet. Each problem on the worksheet set up a different situation where they purchased clothing, sporting goods, or groceries. I was fascinated by how focused they were compared to other basic drill worksheets, and it got me thinking.    🤔 🤔 🤔

What if kids picked jobs and had money to spend and bills to pay? Let’s open their eyes to what we adults do every day. Maybe it will slow down their mad desire to be an adult. (Well, probably not.) But what it could do is give them a taste of what it’s like to be an adult and maybe appreciate the challenges they will face. Adulting isn’t always easy.

The key to running an engaging simulation is to use real data and information whenever possible. And that is exactly what I did.  They chose the jobs they wanted from a government list of jobs available in our state. They received their paycheck based on the data, minus taxes, of course. They found a place to live, a place to work, transportation to get there... They did all the things a person needed to do to set up their first adult experience. So far, so good.

A Trip to the Grocery Store

The grocery store field trip is one of my favorite parts of the Personal Finance simulation. It’s one of the best comprehensive math/reading challenges students can experience, bringing real life into the classroom in a way that a worksheet will never be able to emulate.

This particular piece of the simulation begins with a menu (including breakfast, lunch, and dinner) that they create for a week. Kids then build their shopping lists from their menus. A game format adds those other necessities we need from time to time (personal needs, like toothpaste, paper towels, and laundry detergent, for example).

Personal Finance Simulation - Grocery Store Field Trip

Preparation is key to making this a successful field trip. 

I always call ahead to check with the store manager and let them know what we’re doing. They are always excited to host our group of kids, suggesting the best days and times to visit. (Wednesdays are not good - the new grocery store ads come out. Mornings are definitely preferable.) 

Parent volunteers are given instructions for their role in this learning adventure. That includes how to weigh fruits and vegetables, read meat labels, compare prices of like items, and generally be a savvy shopper. 

Once at the store, these parent-led groups are sent off to different sections of the store to begin their shopping experience. (Think dairy, meat, fruits and vegetables, personal needs, boxed and canned goods.) That way, the entire class is not clogging up the aisles for regular shoppers. 

Groups are told they have an hour to find what they need. (I usually end up giving them an extra 15 minutes, but I build that into the schedule.) At the end of their “shopping,” everyone meets at the checkout stands where they are allowed to actually buy a snack. This rounds out the whole shopping experience for them. 

Back at school, it’s time to pay the bill!

It’s one thing to toss groceries in a cart when you don’t have to account for the money being spent. It’s entirely another matter when you’ve already paid for a lot of necessities (rent, transportation, everyday incidentals) and have a finite amount to get you through the end of the month.

After carefully shopping for the best values and recording those prices on their shopping list, the real work begins when we return to class. 

With calculators in hand, the shoppers “check out” by totaling their bills and writing a check. A quick class discussion for closure and a written summary enable them to reflect on their experience.

And write they did! Regardless of their occupation choices and the money they made, they were shocked at how much groceries cost. Some were genuinely concerned that they would run out of money, and then how would they pay the end-of-month bills?

Frequently, after that field trip, parents will pull me aside and thank me. One parent shared her son quit asking for all the expensive treats found at the checkout stand or eye level on the shelves. He actually helped pick out alternatives to the top shelf items he typically “had to have!”

Sometimes it’s impossible to actually take an entire class to the grocery store. 

In that case, Plan B.  I let the kids know they would need to complete this activity with an adult. It could be a parent, a guardian, a neighbor–someone who grocery shops regularly. The adult would have instructions, along with suggestions to make the outing successful. 

Personal Finance is one of my all-time favorite units to teach. 

For more information. click here to preview the entire Personal Finance PBL Simulation. But first, read what teachers and their students are saying about Personal Finance PBL Simulation.