Personal Finance Lab: Interactive Budget Game and Stock Market Game for Financial Literacy ~ a TOS review

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Disclaimer: I received a FREE copy of this product through the HOMESCHOOL REVIEW CREW in exchange for my honest review. I was not required to write a positive review nor was I compensated in any other way. All opinions I have expressed are my own or those of my family. I am disclosing this in accordance with FTC Regulations. 

My oldest daughter at home right now is in her Senior year and as she heads off to University in August I hope that I have prepared her how to create and stick to a monthly budget. Last year we did a paper simulation of a budget game but I am so glad we have had the chance to use the PersonalFinanceLab Budgeting Game for a more real life simulation. Let me tell you a little more about it.

PersonalFinanceLab.com is an online budgeting and stock market game that is geared for high school students to help promote and encourage financial literacy. The program includes integrated curriculum to teach students about important key concepts like your credit score and interest. We received a nine month subscription (for a school year) to the PersonalFinanceLab Budgeting Game, Stock Market Game and integrated curriculum from PersonalFinanceLab.com.

Getting started was easy. Once we got our log in information it was easy to set up our account. I will admit I was a little intimidated at setup, but once we started playing around within the game it was quick and easy to catch on. Initially, I set up student accounts for Mikayla (12th), Montana (8th), and McKenzie (5th). In the end we just ended up using one account to play the game together. We collectively decided to start with the Budgeting Game and had great fun working through the life-like bill situations a college student may encounter. Bills such as rent, groceries, utilities, and a car loan. I love how the game throws in unexpected expenses such as speeding tickets or having to pay for pest control extermination because you were not so tidy in your apartment.

Playing the game was a fun activity for us to look forward to each day as we progressed through the simulated calendar months. Each month takes roughly 20 minutes to play through and includes life-like situations and consequences. With each purchase or expense the student must decide if they want to use debit or credit to pay. Students will also need to learn to budget their weekly paycheck and to pay their bills on time. My kids were all shocked by the amount of money that Uncle Sam takes for his cut of their paycheck.

 

We actually had a really good time playing the Budgeting Game! They eagerly looked forward to the time we would spend playing the simulations and making the game decisions. The only thing we wished we could have done within this game is to pay a little more on our bills. If we had extra money in our account we could not pay more on our utilities or rent to get ahead. Not a huge distractor but a useful feature that would help simulate a more real life experience.

     

We also received access to the Stock Market Game. While, we didn’t really get much into this game we did dabble in it to know that it is jam-packed with knowledge to help you become an excellent stock trader. During the game you get to research and buy and sell stocks just like the real stock market. Everything you need to research about the stocks and keep your portfolio up to date is within the game so you can make informed decisions to be a great investor. Be sure to check out what my fellow reviewers had to say about the Stock Market Game.

Overall, this game has been a great success as a personal finance curriculum for us! I love that it teaches real life budgeting scenarios in real-time with real like consequences. Forget to pay your cable bill, well you will get a late fee. Forget to spend time on your studies in college and you may end up failing the class and need to pay more money to retake it. 

I love how my children really thought out about how they would spend the weekly paycheck and what to do when unexpected expenses happened. They learned a lot and are looking forward to completed the last six months of game play we have in the game. We also plan to take more time and dive fully into the Stock Market Game. Be sure to click the banner below and check out the reviews from 24 of my CrewMates and be sure to check out the Budget Game and/or the Stock Market Game for your family!

Our personal rating: 

 Company ~ PersonalFinanceLab.com  

 Product ~ PersonalFinanceLab Budgeting Game, Stock Market Game and integrated curriculum

 Format ~ online learning

 Price ~ $15.00 both games, per student

 Ages ~ high school, adaptable to middle schoolers

Social Media Links: 

 Facebook ~ Instagram @pfinlab  ~ YouTube: Stock-Trak 

 © 2008 - 2021 A Stable Beginning. All rights reserved. All photographs, text, artwork, and other content may not be reproduced or transmitted in any form without the written permission of the author.

 http://astablebeginning.com

Wordless Wednesday

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© 2008 - 2021 A Stable Beginning. All rights reserved. All photographs, text, artwork, and other content may not be reproduced or transmitted in any form without the written permission of the author.

 http://astablebeginning.com

Wordless Wednesday

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 © 2008 - 2021 A Stable Beginning. All rights reserved. All photographs, text, artwork, and other content may not be reproduced or transmitted in any form without the written permission of the author.

 http://astablebeginning.com

Guest post~ How to Make Science Fun in Homeschool

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Did you enjoy science as a kid or did you loathe it? With science, it seems like it could be a love it or loathe it subject. A lot of kids love the experiments and fascinating facts, but some would rather be on the playground. And then some kids wonder why they would need to understand science at all. 

Science is a wonderful world that can teach us so many things. It teaches us about the world around us and how it works, what makes everything work in its own special way. It can also help with critical thinking skills and deeper learning. 

But with all that being said, sometimes kids still need that extra boost to make science fun. 

 Here are some fun ways to make science awesome in homeschool 

1. Interactive Activities

If you have a hands on child, experiments are the way to go. Kids that are kinesthetic  learners will understand much more when they can get their hands dirty! Science experiments are also helpful for visual learners as well. Some children don't understand a concept unless they can see it themselves. So teaching these concepts firsthand is the best way for a child to understand.

2. Watching Videos

Remember when the teacher used to put on a movie in class and how happy everyone got? Watching videos and movies in homeschool is still fun and can help kids learn. There are so many educational videos out there especially on the internet to choose from! And videos can help reinforce learning.

3. Make Up Songs

Some children can remember anything if it's put to a tune. Try making up fun songs to the tunes of popular children's songs for things to remember. This is a really fun way to involve kids of all ages!

4. Coloring Pages

If you homeschool a lot of different ages at the same time, keeping the smaller ones entertained can be challenging. But with coloring pages on the same topic, they can still be involved and learning. Plus coloring helps improve concentration.

5. Field Trips

This one would be a no-brainer for any teacher! Field trips are such a fun way to teach kids and let them explore on their own pace. With science, the possibilities are endless! You can find a science museum near you, science fairs, go on a nature walk in a park, head to the zoo for biology, etc. There are a lot of out of the box places you can learn about science that you wouldn't even think of. Like your own kitchen for science experiments when cooking too!

Science can be a fun subject for a lot of students but sometimes they still might need a little help. If you find you have a struggling student, then perhaps looking up science tuition in your area would be a help. Finding a good tutor is beneficial to children and can help them understand science topics better if they are needing extra help.

Wordless Wednesday

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© 2008 - 2021 A Stable Beginning. All rights reserved. All photographs, text, artwork, and other content may not be reproduced or transmitted in any form without the written permission of the author.

 http://astablebeginning.com

Planning for 2021-2022 school year

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The last few days I have been narrowing down our 2021-2022 Plan of Study. In all honesty guys I’m tired! We are finishing up our 12th year with eleven more years to go. I’m not throwing in the towel one bit, but I have recognized that I need to regroup for my last three kids and get back to basics of how my older three were schooled. 

Montana (14), McKenzie (11), and Micah (6) are all completely home educated and for that I am truly grateful for the opportunity to help them reach their full potential. To facilitate this, the girls will be taking a few core online classes with Veritas Press Scholars Academy as the older girls have done. Montana will be in 9th grade and taking three classes, Spanish 1, Composition 1, and Biology (my favorite) while McKenzie will be in 6th grade and will start our college prep science series by taking General Science and an online history class. Both of them need the push these classes will provide them and I’m excited to take a little step back while I regroup while continuing to build the foundation for Micah. I’m excited to share our full Plan of Study early this year. I should have everything finalized by the beginning of May.

© 2008 - 2021 A Stable Beginning. All rights reserved. All photographs, text, artwork, and other content may not be reproduced or transmitted in any form without the written permission of the author.

 http://astablebeginning.com

Wordless Wednesday ~ Coop Physical Science

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 © 2008 - 2021 A Stable Beginning. All rights reserved. All photographs, text, artwork, and other content may not be reproduced or transmitted in any form without the written permission of the author.

 http://astablebeginning.com