Trade Fair

The other day in class we did an activity called the "Trade Fair." I had to bring in a few items and try to trade it with my classmates. This is excellent way to teach students about various topics including:

Communication
Bargaining
Problem solving
Determine value of an item
Generosity
Wants vs. needs
Supply and demand
Import and export
Slave trade
Goods and services
Raw material
Profit and loss

I brought picture frames, coffee, donuts, flip flops and I left with a bottle of shower gel, a book mark, a greeting card, a candy bar, lotion (from Israel), Harry Potter DVD, and a donut. I think I got a pretty good deal!

Here are some pictures of our trade fair:

Salt Dough Maps

The other day in class we talked about geography. Using the atlas, me and my group picked Greece and then created a model of it using pre-made salt dough. This activity can be used in the elementary grades 3-6. I am sure the kids will not only love it but they will also learn a lot from it.

This activity can teach students the following things about geography: Using maps to locate places, the importance of maps, How can maps help us? and various landforms found in a place. By completing the salt dough project, students get a chance to express themselves through Art. Students will also learn more about the country they are presenting. In my future classroom, I would make sure that students pick different countries, this way the students will get a chance to learn from each other.