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FableVision game in which players manage a “day club” for vampires. As an Edutopia article puts it, “Players experience the familiar tension between servicing debt, spending money, and saving for the future. By featuring vampires, who live forever, the game highlights the impact of long-term savings over a 45-year span in a 15-round game.” For kids who aren’t into fantasy, “Road Trip to Savings” offers a similar experience, letting kids ages 8–15 plan out a virtual road trip with $1,000 in “cash.” Players have to learn to manage their money in order to pay their insurance and keep gas in the tank. If they can’t, it’s game over. Even the NFL has gotten in on the financial gamification action. New Orleans Saints quarterback Drew Brees partnered with Visa to create a classroom game called “Financial Football” that combines virtual football with questions about saving, spending, budgeting, and credit. The game has levels tailored to different age groups, including Rookie (ages 11–14), Pro (ages 14–18), and Hall of Fame (ages 18 and up).
The biggest, most successful example of this strategy on a school level is The Stock Market Game, a national nonprofit that has helped a whopping 17 million kids learn about finance. The premise of the online simulation is simple: Kids join teams and get $100,000 in fake stocks, bonds, mutual funds, impact investments, and cash. Then, they learn how to “invest” that money and compete to see who can get the biggest returns over either a 10- week period or a year. When an entire class or school is competing, winning is a big deal, so motivation and interest run high! Schools all over the country use the program to teach kids math skills, economics, and the basics of personal finance. The Stock Market Game even has a national contest called the Capitol Hill Challenge that brings top- performing teams to Washington, D.C., to meet their representatives in Congress. With a prize like that at stake, competition can get fierce!
If your kids’ schools offer personal finance classes and you want to get more involved in helping your kids prepare for the real world, try reaching out to their teachers about putting gamification to work. Barring that, there are plenty of games you can use at home! Any kid with a sponsor over 18 can join The Stock Market Game, even if they don’t have a team or school involved, and games like “Road Trip to Savings” are available to download at PracticalMoneySkills.com. Whatever route you choose, you’ll be giving your kids a leg up in the world while showing them a good time to boot.
Another online game that puts an even more creative twist on finance is “Bite Club,” a
THE TIMELESS CHARM OF THE DRIVE-IN MOVIE Plus, How to Create Your Own Outdoor Cinema
For playing the movie, you’ll need a laptop and streaming service or a DVD or Blu-ray player. You’ll connect these devices to your projector through an HDMI port. As long as you’re not broadcasting to the whole neighborhood, stereo or computer speakers should be just fine, but you can also opt for a Bluetooth speaker that will give your audio a big boost. Next, you’ll need a flat surface to display the movie. A plain, white bedsheet makes a good screen, or you can make your own with white fabric from craft stores or online. Cushions, blankets, and outdoor hanging lights add a fun touch to your cinema. Just be sure to turn the lights off before the movie begins — and silence those cellphones! Once your setup is complete, select your movie, get the popcorn popping, and enjoy some movie magic right in your backyard.
The first drive-in theater opened in 1933 in Camden, New Jersey. At the time, films cost 25 cents per person, plus 25 cents per car, and drive-ins usually got movies in the second run, after they’d shown at indoor theaters. The trend started off slow, but by the ‘50s, Americans had fully embraced the outdoor theater experience. The ‘80s brought a charismatic Michael J. Fox to audiences in “Back to the Future,” and shortly after, “The Sandlot” hit the big screen and gave us lines that we’d quote for the next decade (“You’re killin’me, Smalls!”). As of 2018, USA Today estimated that only about 330 drive-in theaters still exist in the United States. But if you don’t have one in your area, there’s a way you can enjoy the outdoor movie experience without having to leave your backyard. Your outdoor cinema starts with a projector. If you don’t have one, they are readily available to purchase at most big-box stores.
Summertime is synonymous with many childhood experiences: hours splashing in the pool, sleepaway camp, and snow cones, to name a few. A quintessential summer destination that isn’t as common these days is the drive-in theater, yet many childhood memories are built on this little bit of nostalgia.
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