Savvy Shopper Challenge

Learning Guide

A simple guide to lead you through the kickoff, the core challenge, and everything in between.

Mai’s Tips

1. Encourage your child to choose items they personally like, as this increases engagement and makes the 'best deal' more relevant to them.
2. If they are struggling with division for unit price, simplify the numbers or use round numbers initially for practice before tackling more complex real-world prices.

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1Introduction 5 min

• Start a conversation by asking your child what they consider a "good deal" when shopping. Encourage them to think beyond just the initial price tag. Introduce the term "value" in this context; it means getting the most usefulness or quality for the money spent, not necessarily the cheapest item overall. Ask them: "What does 'value' mean when you're buying something?" Discuss how value isn't just about low price, but what you actually get for that price. Your child is done when they have shared an initial idea about what makes a good deal.

Done when: Student engages in discussion and shares an initial idea about what makes a good deal.

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2Explore & Plan 8 min

• Help your child gather the necessary materials: the grocery flyers, a pen, paper, and the calculator. Introduce the concept of "unit price," explaining that it's the cost for a single unit of an item, like one ounce or one piece, which helps compare items fairly. For example, tell them: 'If a big box of cereal is $5 for 20 ounces, how would you find the price for just one ounce?' Guide them to select 2-3 types of products they want to compare from the flyers, such as different brands or sizes of cereal, juice, or yogurt. Encourage them to outline a simple plan, perhaps a chart, for how they will compare these items. Ask: "What items do you think we should investigate first in our grocery flyers? How could we compare different sizes or brands fairly?" Your child is done when they have identified products to compare and outlined a basic comparison plan.

Done when: Student identifies products to compare and outlines a basic plan for comparison.

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3Discussion 6 min

• Engage your child in a discussion about why knowing the "price per ounce" or "price per item" is so important, especially when products come in different sizes. Ask them: 'Why can't we just look at the total price?' Guide them to understand that this calculation helps us compare products fairly. Prompt them to consider whether the biggest package is always the best value. Then, ask them: 'What calculation will help us compare fairly?' Emphasize that division is the key math operation needed here. Finally, ask: 'What are some things that might make a 'deal' not so great in the end?' (e.g., too much of something that will go bad before it's used). Your child is done when they can explain why unit price is important and identify division as the necessary math operation.

Done when: Student articulates why unit price is important and identifies division as the key math operation.

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4Activity 9 min

• Have your child begin the "Grocery Price Comparison Adventure." Encourage them to work independently to calculate the unit prices for the 2-3 product types they selected from the grocery flyers. Provide the calculator but let them perform the division. If they need a reminder, say: 'Remember, it's the total price divided by the quantity.' Guide them to record their findings clearly on paper and to explain why they picked the 'winning' deal (the item with the lowest unit price). Your child is done when they have completed unit price calculations for their selected items and identified the best value for each.

Done when: Student has completed unit price calculations for selected items and identified the best value for each.

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5Summary 2 min

• Celebrate your child's success in completing the Savvy Shopper Challenge! Ask them open-ended questions to encourage reflection on their discoveries. Ask: 'Was there anything that surprised you?' and 'How will this change how you shop in the future?' Emphasize that they have just learned a practical math skill that will help them make smarter purchasing decisions and save money. Your child is done when they have shared at least one key takeaway or surprising fact from the activity.

Done when: Student shares at least one key takeaway or surprise from the activity.

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