April 16, 2026
Reality Store
Eighth-graders at the James E. Bazzell Middle School (JEBMS) learned a bit about the financial reality of life on Wednesday, April 15. The members of the Class of 2030 participated in Reality Store---a longstanding role-play exercise for eighth graders.
Reality Store----organized and presented in a collaboration between 4-H, the Allen County Extension Service, and Youth Services at JEBMS---begins in the classroom. Students are assigned a monthly income based on their GPA. Students draw to learn the size of their family. Each student is considered a single parent and challenged to meet the needs of his/her families.
Wednesday, the role-play learning experience moved to the gym to complete the exercise. Each participant was asked to visit booths representing everything from a clothing store to a contributions’ table. After starting by paying “taxes” to Uncle Sam, students visited each booth to see how the reality of life would impact their lives. The students had to consider housing costs, food for a month, insurance costs, and the expense for monthly services like electricity, water, and heating.
Approximately 50 community volunteers awaited at each of the 25 or so tables representing real world things that an adult with a family would need to consider as they planned a monthly budget. The volunteers explained options to help the students consider what or what not could be purchased. For example, at the transportation booth, a volunteer would explain that a single parent with three kids would need to purchase a vehicle for the entire family rather than a two-seat sports car. A student might quickly learn that his “want” of a vehicle would give way to the reality of the “need.”
Eighth-graders at the James E. Bazzell Middle School (JEBMS) learned a bit about the financial reality of life on Wednesday, April 15. The members of the Class of 2030 participated in Reality Store---a longstanding role-play exercise for eighth graders.
Reality Store----organized and presented in a collaboration between 4-H, the Allen County Extension Service, and Youth Services at JEBMS---begins in the classroom. Students are assigned a monthly income based on their GPA. Students draw to learn the size of their family. Each student is considered a single parent and challenged to meet the needs of his/her families.
Wednesday, the role-play learning experience moved to the gym to complete the exercise. Each participant was asked to visit booths representing everything from a clothing store to a contributions’ table. After starting by paying “taxes” to Uncle Sam, students visited each booth to see how the reality of life would impact their lives. The students had to consider housing costs, food for a month, insurance costs, and the expense for monthly services like electricity, water, and heating.
Approximately 50 community volunteers awaited at each of the 25 or so tables representing real world things that an adult with a family would need to consider as they planned a monthly budget. The volunteers explained options to help the students consider what or what not could be purchased. For example, at the transportation booth, a volunteer would explain that a single parent with three kids would need to purchase a vehicle for the entire family rather than a two-seat sports car. A student might quickly learn that his “want” of a vehicle would give way to the reality of the “need.”