On a recent Tuesday, I stood inside a bank storefront and talked to seventh graders about how to save money, why we save and how to evaluate banking options. It was part of a financial literacy program that emphasizes hands-on learning.
Instead of worksheets, textbooks or lectures, these middle schoolers engaged in a simulation of real-world budgeting and financial decision-making. It’s part of a Junior Achievement Finance Park program in Maryland. The first location opened in 2003, and there are now 65 finance parks all over the country.
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