Program helps students make sense of saving
<p>Panhandle State Bank employee Dara Fogg helps Sagle Elementary students drop their change into a coin counter machine. (Photo by CAMERON RASMUSSON)</p>
SANDPOINT — A penny saved is a penny earned, as Sagle Elementary kids learned firsthand Wednesday morning.
A trail of third-graders filed their way toward the coin counter machine at Panhandle State Bank bearing jars filled with spare change. One by one, the kids dumped the coins into the machine and watched the dollar bills rack up. Afterward, they hit Safeway, using their freshly-deposited money to purchase appropriate items for the Bonner Community Food Center.
It was all a part of Sagle Elementary’s 12th annual Power Penny Savers third-grade field trip. The field trip rolled a variety of lessons into one experience, combining classical education subjects and common skills necessary for adult life.
“It’s a lot better than teaching from the book,” third grade teacher Kathleen Taylor said.
Students began by collecting as many coins as they could from their friends, family and neighbors. The school’s older students, most of whom had taken on the project in past years, helped with the fundraising, too. An Idaho Classroom Care and Share grant worth $500 boosted their coffers even more.
After filling about a dozen jars, the students added up the coin contributions they’d received so far using their arithmetic skills. They calculated that they’d collected $663.98 for a total of $1,163.98 with the grant. However, some errors in the additive process are generally expected — the coin counter machine revealed a final total of $1,156.68.
“I’m happiest if we can get it within $5,” Taylor said. “One year, we were only off by a single penny.”
The students also got a primer in the basics of modern finance management. The trip to the bank showed them the basics of depositing money. When the group took their educational expedition to the super market, the kids learned another essential aspect of modern living: smart shopping.
Taylor challenged her students to find the best deals and lowest prices at Safeway. The third graders took the task seriously and knocked it out of the park, collecting 705 pounds of food with their money. That food was promptly delivered to the Bonner Community Food Center.
“They were such good shoppers,” Taylor said.
The field trip extended beyond providing math and money lessons for the young spenders. Taylor hopes her students will also remember the worth of a good deed when they grow up.
“I really hope I’m planting the seeds for some of them to volunteer when they’re older,” she said.