Tutor Courses
MONEYWISE IDEAS FOR THE FAMILY
Courses
Resources
History
General aims of these sessions:
Discuss and observe how money and maths are used in everyday life Help parents to extend their children’s opportunities to learn maths Learn how to get the best food value for the least cost Get ideas for recycling and reusing everyday items and home recipes for cleaning products
| Topic | Content |
|---|---|
| 1. Cost comparisons | Looking at price comparisons in different stores. How to compare like for like. Value of prepared vs homemade foods (e.g., pizza, shepherd’s pie). Comparing loose v. packaged foods (fruit, veggies, meat). Exploring the real value of promotional offers. |
| 2. Shopping around | Comparing sample family bills. Sharing ideas on ways to reduce costs, e.g., home heating costs, electricity, gas, medical costs, transport costs. |
| 3. Ideas to reduce costs in the home | Planning meals to avoid waste. Checking the week’s sale items before shopping. Creating complementary meals using similar ingredients. Sharing creative ideas for leftovers. Making homemade cleaning products that are environmentally friendly. |
| 4. Comparing phone costs | Monitoring and estimating phone usage. Comparing phone packages. Choosing the best option. |
| 5. Getting school supplies for children | Using a variety of ways to get school books, clothes and supplies without breaking the bank. |
| 6. Ways to have fun on the cheap | Sharing ideas on places to visit, activities for children at weekends, holidays that involve very little or no cost. |
Websites
http://frugalliving.about.com/od/frugalliving101/tp/Start_Frugal.htm
Session 6: Ways to have fun on the cheap
Materials:
Old magazines
Current local newspapers
Coloured card
Computers with internet access
Scissors
Map of local area
Pritt sticks
| Task | Suggested Activities |
|---|---|
| Identify places to visit and activities for a sunny day | Parents work in pairs and list areas, e.g., park, playground, feeding ducks, riverside walks, etc. Use local newspapers to locate events. Find out the cost of a bus trip or drive to the seaside. Discuss auxiliary costs, e.g., transport, special clothing, snacks. |
| Share with others | Parents share their ideas with others and learn about local options. |
| What can children do on a wet day? | Parents work in pairs and list possibilities, e.g., visit library, museum, art gallery. Discuss which would appeal to very young children, primary school children, teenagers. Brainstorm home activities including those based on other sessions, e.g., fun science experiments, home-made instruments, games, etc. |
| Create an information sheet for parents | Ask parents to pool their ideas and use IT to create a two- sided information sheet. The group should decide a title, e.g., Free Family Fun Ideas, etc. Each parent contributes something, e.g., title, transcribing, editing, design, finding images, etc. Parents can distribute the leaflet to places where other parents can easily find it: clinics, library, parent and toddler groups. |
| Investigate other possibilities | Help parents to look up opportunities available in other towns/villages/neighbourhoods of a similar size. Identify more ideas for free or low cost amenities for young children, older children and teenagers. Make a list of suggestions. Discuss where to send suggestions, e.g., local council. Work together to compose a letter, sign and send. |
Literacy Links:
Locating information in a text using scanning. Skimming technique. Recognising familiar words. Understanding text conventions. Using context clues to obtain meaning. Expressing facts, feelings, opinions. Asking questions to obtain information. Gathering and transcribing information
Writing formal correspondence. Using rules of writing Brainstorming, drafting, editing, proofreading
Numeracy Links:
Listing events in chronological order
Identifying locations on a local map
Giving directions
Estimating costs
Gathering data and organising information
Writing numbers in sequence e.g. telephone numbers, addresses