Second Grade Opens for Business

“As soon as I brought up the store idea, they were so excited to apply their skills as crafters, making jewelry, yarn crafts, origami, and stickers,” said Keely. “And it was wonderful to have so many students come in and value their work as artists.”

Students worked on creating the items in the weeks leading up to the store’s one-day-only run, both during math class and after school. With the help of some parents volunteers, the students were open for business during their normal morning math time and saw a plethora of customers purchase their handcrafted items, as well as a couple of snack items made and donated by parents volunteers. 

Customers were asked to bring one dollar to spend on items. Proceeds from the store are being donated to the World Wildlife Fund, something Keely’s mathematicians decided on as a group. Every class in the lower school dropped by, as well as a few teachers and members of the admin team. 

“It was really fun to see math front and center as students shopped at our store and second graders acted as cashiers.” Keely added. “I think this project made the math very tangible for students—they have been eager and excited to practice their math in preparation for the store.”

Ultimately, it was a math-filled morning and successful business project.