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This is an activity used to introduce the benefits of using a budget.
Materials required:
Each group will need six balls of equal size and six balls of varying
sizes. Soccer and tennis balls will work well.
Here’s how it works:
Divide students into groups of 8-12 and arrange each group in a circle.
Establish a pattern of throwing a ball across the circle. Example: Jane
to Bill, Bill to John, John to Jeff, etc. Students need to remember who
they are receiving from and throwing to.
To Play:
To begin round 1, students begin a pattern of throwing balls. The
teacher gradually adds balls until three balls of equal size are
circulating among each group. Let students throw the balls until they
are familiar with the established pattern.
Stop and collect the balls.
Round 2 begins in the same way as round 1, but the teacher continues to
add balls of varying sizes until all 12 balls are being thrown. The
teacher can anticipate chaos with people dropping the balls and balls
hitting each other. Encourage students to try and maintain their
established
pattern.
Connection:
The balls represent bills. When we follow a budget and know what money
is coming and going, the pattern is smooth. However, if we do not
follow a budget, big bills and little unexpected bills, sometimes
hit us in the face and can run our lives amuck.
Additional probable connections students will make: Each round is like
one month. Some months are smooth and other months, it is hard to make
ends meet. Example: Balls that collide can represent a car accident or
unexpected doctor bills. Students are great at making their own
connections with the analogy.
Source: Contributed by Traquel Dayley, Business Teacher, Millcreek High
School, St. George, UT. From the archives of Teaching Business Education
Newsletter. |
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