Welcome to the Wild, Money Extravaganza Adventure!
Learning about money doesn’t have to
be boring. Instead, it can be a crazy,
wild, exciting adventure!
Have you ever gone to the store and
wanted to buy something?
It might have been something really big like
a new bike or something really small like a
piece of gum. Big, small, or in between, you
needed money to buy it!
But what exactly is money and how does it
work? I am glad you asked! - On our money
learning adventure, I will help explain money
and why it is so important. Here is the
questions we will answer along our journey:
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What is money?
How do I earn money?
How do I save money?
How do I put money into a savings
account?
How do I get money out of my savings
account?
What is the difference between a
savings account vs. a checking account?
What is a check?
What is a debit card?
How do I borrow money?
Let the Adventure begin!
I’m ACE, your Personal
Adventure Guide!
During our money learning adventure, I
will be your personal guide. I will help you
learn and guide you through each step of
our journey.
1
What is money?
DIG
DEEPER
FORMS OF MONEY
Did you know that
back in the old
days, people didn’t
use money? Instead,
they bartered.
In early history, bartering was a common
practice of trading or exchanging goods,
services, and other resources. But
bartering resulted in a lot of problems,
especially when someone was not willing
to exchange a good or service with you.
Overtime, money was introduced to fix
the problem. In the United States, money
is in the form of currency and coins. We
also use checks and electronic money,
like a debit card.
dollar bill
coins
Debt Card
check
0000 0000 0000 0000
JOHN DOE
MONTH/YEAR
12 / 22
debit card
DESIGN YOUR OWN BILL
Meet my friend Ardie the Artist!
She will help you design your own
currency bill. Use your imagination
and have fun!
2
ADVENTURE
ACTIVITY
How do I earn money?
When you go to
the store, you need
money to buy things
right? (Yes!) So, how
do you get money?
Do your parents give
it to you? (Maybe,
but probably not!)
You have to earn it!
ADVENTURE
ACTIVITY
THE MAZE
Meet my friend Masey! She is a little
scared because she is lost. Help Masey
find her parents by finding your way
through the maze. By completing this
adventure, you will earn 50 tokens.
Earning money is simple. You can earn
money through doing a lot of things – like
getting a job, doing your chores, receiving
an allowance, babysitting, or receiving
gifts. Once you have earned money, this is
called your income.
start here!
finish!
By completing the maze, you earned
50 tokens! Keep track of these tokens
because they might come in-handy on
the next adventure!
you did it!
You’re
A-MAZE-ING!
Get the solution to the maze on page 14.
3
How do I save money?
You have earned 50
tokens. Congrats!
But now, what do
you do with your
money?
Once you have earned money, you can
either spend it or save it! Spending
your money is easy, but sometimes, you
should save your money, especially if you
want to save it to buy something really
big – like a new puppy or bicycle. You
might keep your money in a wallet or
piggy bank while you are saving it. But do
you every worry about it going missing or
you losing it? Well a lot of people have
this concern, so they put their money in a
bank for safe keeping.
SAVINGS ACCOUNT
ADVENTURE
ACTIVITY
Banks are trusted businesses where people can
safely keep their money. By opening a savings
account, you can save your money for future use.
Meet my friend Charlie! He works at the bank
and will help you open a savings account.
BANK
With the help of a parent or friend,
play connect-the-dots to finish
opening your new savings account!
DIG
DEEPER
INTEREST
When you open a savings account, you
can make money on your money! This
means the bank will pay you a small
amount of money, called interest for
keeping your money in their bank.
4
How do I put money into my savings account?
Once you have
opened your savings
account, you can now
put money into it!
DIG
DEEPER
ATM
Did you know that you can also deposit
money into your savings account through
an ATM? ATMs are really convenient
and are simple to use. Next time you go
through an ATM with your parents, ask
them to let you watch as they deposit
money into the machine.
Putting money into your
account is called making
a deposit. You make a
deposit by filling out a
deposit slip. The bank teller will then use the
information on the deposit slip to complete
the transaction. A transaction is the term
banks use for any action of putting or taking
out money from your account. Let’s practice!
ADVENTURE
ACTIVITY
MAKING A DEPOSIT
A deposit slip is a form you complete to put
money into your savings account. Let’s fill one
out to put your 50 tokens into the bank. My
friend Lionell will help you!
A
Deposit:
C
Savings
B
Checking
Date:
Checking or Savings Account #
E
D
Directions:
Tokens:
Total:
Name
Address
Sign
Deposit Slip
5
A. Check “savings”.
B. Write today’s date on the line.
C. Write your account number.
(Since this is just practice, you can
create your own account number.)
D. Write your name and address.
Then, sign your name.
E. Write the total number of tokens
you want to deposit - 50 tokens!
How do I get money out of my savings account?
DIG
DEEPER
Just like you can put money into a savings
account, you can also take money out!
This is called a withdrawal transaction.
You might want to withdraw some money
from your account if you want to buy
something – maybe like a bike or puppy!
You can withdrawal money by filling out
a withdrawal slip. This is very similar to
the deposit slip you filled out in the last
adventure, except withdrawal slip tells the
bank teller how much money you are going
to take out of your account. Let’s practice!
ADVENTURE
ACTIVITY
WITHDRAWAL SLIP
A withdrawal slip looks like this! Once you fill
it out, you can take it to the bank teller. She will
ask to see your photo ID - helping her check that
you are the real owner of the account, and then,
she will give you your money!
Deposit:
Savings
Checking
Checking or Savings Account #
Date:
Tokens:
Total:
Name
Address
Withdrawal Slip
Sign
LET’S BUY A BIKE!
Let’s buy a bike! But in order to buy it, you need to withdraw
25 tokens from your savings account. My friend, Lula will help
you figure out how much is left in your savings account after
you withdraw the 25 tokens.
50-25=
tokens
deposited
50 tokens
6
tokens
withdraw
25 tokens
tokens
balance of
savings account
Get the solution to the equation on page 14.
WILD, MONEY
EXTRAVAGANZA
DETOUR
Let’s have some fun!
Let’s take a break from our money
adventure to review some key terms we
have learned so far! Circle as many words
as you can find from the word bank below.
Word Bank
Bartering
Money
Currency
Dollar
Coin
Earn
Income
Savings
Account
Interest
Bank
Deposit
Balance
ATM
Trading
Transaction
Safari Word Search
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Get the solution to the puzzle on page 14.
7
What is the difference between a savings & checking account?
During the last couple
of adventures, we have
talked about a savings
account. But banks also
offer a different type
of account called a
checking account.
DIG
DEEPER
Remember that a savings account is used
to save money! Characteristics of a savings
account are:
• opened to save money
• occasional withdrawals and deposits
• sometimes limited on the number of
withdrawals per month
• earns interest
A checking account is similar to a savings
account – both accounts keep money safe and
allow easy access to your money. But a checking
account is different from a savings account
because it is designed to be used almost
every single day. Banks expect people with a
checking account to make a lot of withdrawals
and deposits on a daily basis. And sometimes,
checking accounts offer little to no interest.
ADVENTURE
ACTIVITY
SAVINGS REVIEW
SAVINGS ACCOUNT VS CHECKING ACCOUNT
Meet Max and Mindy! They will help you figure
out which characteristic goes in either the Savings
or Checking Account box. We have done the first
one for you to you started!
Savings
Account
Characteristics:
•
•
•
•
•
open account to save money
occasional withdrawals and deposits
earn no or little interest
open account to use every day
earn interest
Get the solution on page 14.
8
Checking
Account
What is a check?
Because a checking account is used almost every day,
the bank gives you several tools to use to deposit and
withdrawal your money, so you don’t have to go to the
bank every single time. One of these tools is called a check.
Checks can be used to buy things, just like cash. People use
checks to pay for things like groceries, electricity, and rent.
ADVENTURE
ACTIVITY
DIG
DEEPER
WRITE A CHECK
Oh no! Your new bike has a flat
tire. To fix it, you need to pay 10
tokens. My friend, Roxy will help
you fill out a check to pay for your
bike’s repairs.
A PIECE OF PAPER?
Now, if you have ever seen your parent’s
check, you may think it looks like a piece
of paper, and it is! But a check acts like
a promise that you are going to pay the
person the amount of money you have
written on the check. And if you break this
promise, there are serious consequences.
Let’s see how it works!
Be sure to check out the skit on the
next page. Get a friend or parent to
help you act it out!
A
Date:
Name
Address
City, State Zip
B
Directions:
Pay to the
order of
C
A. Write today’s date on the line.
B. Print the name of the person or company
you are writing the check to. (In this case,
it would be Roxy Repair Shop.)
C. Write the numerical amount of the check.
(In this case, it would be 10 tokens.)
D. Write out the amount in words. (Hint: ten
tokens)
E. Write the reason for the check. (In this
case, you can write “bike repairs.”)
F. Sign your signature.
Tokens
D
E
F
Memo
Signature
-:12400056-:987651
9
Act out the skit with some
friends or your parents for a
better understanding about
how checks work!
Sam’s Birthday Gift
Characters:
Sam, Sallie, Ima Teller
Setting: Scene 1 – Outside Sallie’s House, Sam walks by
Sam: Hey Sallie! Guess what I got for my birthday present?
Sallie: What?
Sam: A $50 check from my grandparents! I am rich! (Holds up the check for
Sallie to see.)
Sallie: Well, it only looks like a piece of paper to me. Are you sure it is $50?
Sam: Yea! Come with me… I will show you how a check works!
Sallie: Okay!
Setting: Scene 2 – Lobby of Bank
Sam: You see when somebody writes you a check - the bank recognizes it as money. You can
deposit it just like you would cash into your account or you can even cash it! – I am trying
to save for a new skateboard, so I think I am just going to deposit it today.
Sallie: Gotcha! So you just fill out a deposit slip?
Sam: Yep! And then, get in line.
(Sam and Sallie walk up to the teller line.)
Ima Teller: Hi there you two! What can I help you with today?
Sallie: Hi Ms. Ima! Sam was given a $50 check for his birthday! He is rich! – He told me a check is
can be used just like cash. You can deposit it into your checking account.
Ima Teller: Well, Sam is exactly right! But one thing is really important to remember about
checks…
Sam: What?
Ima Teller: Well, it is very important to have enough money in your account to cover the check.
Sallie: What do you mean?
Ima Teller: Well, when a person goes to deposit the check (like you are today), it pulls the amount
of money from the account of the person who wrote the check (in this case your
grandparents). If there is not enough money in their account, the check will bounce.
Sam: What does a check bounce mean?
Ima Teller: This means that the bank will charge a fee to your grandparents for not having
enough money in their account to cover the $50 check.
Sallie: Oh no!
Ima Teller: And if this happens, the check will not clear.
Sam: What’s that mean?
Ima Teller: That means the check cannot be deposited. The writer of the check would have to put
the $50 into their account, and then, the check would have to be redeposited.
Sallie: Oh my! Did that happen to Sam’s check? Did it not go through?
Ima Teller: It looks like your grandparents have enough money in their account to cover your $50
check, so everything went through great! You’re $50 was deposited successfully into
your account!
Sam: Man, you had me all nervous!
Ima Teller: Well, just remember to always check your account balance before writing a check, so
you know you have enough money for the check.
Sallie and Sam: Yes ma’am! See you later!
10
What is a debit card?
In the last adventure, we
talked about how the
bank gives you checks
as a tool to access your
money. When you open
a checking account, the
bank will also give you a
debit card.
DIG
DEEPER
What do you think would happen if
someone stole your debit card? It could
be very bad! They could use all of your
money. In order to prevent theft, banks
give each person a PIN – PIN stands for
Personal Identification Number. It typically
is 4 numbers that you remember and keep
secret. Think of it as a secret password!
Every time you use your debit card, you are
required to type in your PIN.
A debit card is a plastic card that can be used
as electronic money. You might have seen your
parents use one, because they are very popular
because they are easy to use. You can use them
basically anywhere, and when you swipe your
card, money is automatically subtracted out of
your account. You can also use your debit card
to withdraw money from an ATM.
ADVENTURE
ACTIVITY
PERSONAL ID #
USING YOUR DEBIT CARD
It is very important to make sure you have enough money in your account when
using your debit card. If you don’t, you will be charged a fee by the bank, called
an overdraft fee.
Help my friend Hopper decide if she should use her debit card to buy each item
below. If she does not have enough money in her account, write No! If she has
enoug money in her account, write Yes!
Account
$50
Yes or
No?
Wants
Account
$100
Yes or
No?
Yo
Yo 0
$1
11
Wants
ar
Be 0
$2
Account
$95
Yes or
No?
Wants
me
Ga 00
1
$
Get the solution on page 14.
How do I borrow money?
Have you ever let someone borrow something of yours, maybe like a video
game or doll? Sure! The person also probably promised to give the item back
to you. Well, that is what banks do too.
Banks let you borrow money on the condition that you promise to pay the
money back within a certain period of time. When the bank lends money in
a large amount, this is called a loan. Typically, a person gets a loan for a big
purchase that they can repay overtime. An example would be a house or car!
ADVENTURE
ACTIVITY
BORROWING MONEY
Let’s pretend that you have decided to buy a
boat! But because the boat is so expensive,
you will need to borrow money from the
bank. Charlie will help you borrow the money
you need!
BANK
With the help of a parent or friend,
play tick-tack-toe to complete the
loan for the boat!
DIG
DEEPER
12
PAYING INTEREST
In a previous adventure, we talked about
earning interest on your savings account.
Well, with a loan, you have to pay interest.
Interest is the way the bank charges you
for borrowing their money.
WILD, MONEY
EXTRAVAGANZA
REVIEW
Let’s have some fun!
Crossword Puzzle
1
You have completed all of the Money
Extravaganza adventures! Let’s review
everything we have learned.
2
3
4
5
6
8
7
9
10
11
12
13
14
15
Word Bank
16
barter
dollar
earn
overdraft
bank
coin
debit
pay
loan
withdrawal
interest
ATM
savings
checking
money
PIN
deposit
Across
2. The exchanging or trading of goods and services
3. A ______ card is used as electronic money.
5. Fill out a ______ slip when putting money into your account.
10. Type of currency commonly called “change”.
11. Fill out a ______ slip when taking money out of your account.
12. You ______ money by getting a job or doing chores.
13. The name of an institution where you can safely keep your money.
14. Four digit number used to prevent theft of debit card.
15. Type of account used frequently.
16. Convenient machine located outside of bank.
Down
1. Fee charged when spending more money than what’s in account.
4. You must have a form of ______ to buy things or services.
5. Type of currency that is commonly known as “cash”.
6. You must _____ interest when you borrow money from the bank.
7. You earn _____ when you put your money into a savings account.
8. Terms used when the bank lends a large amount of money.
9. Type of account that earns interest and is used to save money.
13
Get the solution on page 14.
WILD, MONEY
EXTRAVAGANZA
SOLUTIONS
Here are the solutions to each
adventure! Check your answers to
make sure they are right.
start here!
2
3
4
6
5
7
9
finish!
8
10
11
12
13
14
15
16
adventure page 13
adventure page 3
50-25=25
tokens
tokens
Safari Word Search
tokens
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adventure page 6
Savings
Account
Characteristics:
•
•
•
•
•
open account to save money
occasional withdrawals and deposits
earn no or little interest
open account to use everyday
earn interest
Checking
Account
adventure page 8
Account
$50
Yes or
No?
Yes
Wants
Yo
Yo 0
$1
Account
$100
Yes or
No?
adventure page 11
Yes
Wants
ar
Be 0
$2
Account
$95
Yes or
No?
No
Wants
me
Ga 00
1
$
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adventure page 7
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Congratulations! You have completed
the Wild, Money Extravaganza!
You did it! You have learned some valuable lessons about money and
banking. Here is a recap of all that you learned on our wild and exciting
money adventure:
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
What is money?
How do I earn money?
How do I save money?
How do I put money into a savings account?
How do I get money out of my savings account?
What is the difference between a savings account vs. a checking account?
What is a check?
What is a debit card?
How do I borrow money?
Awesome Job!
Certificate of Completion
AMERIS BANK PROUDLY PRESENT
with a certificate for completing
the Wild, Money Extravaganza!
Way to Go!
15
Adve
Accom nture
plish
ed