📖

Money Matters in the Colonies

Colonial Economy and Trade

Day 40of 180
Week 8of 36
30Minutes
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🖨️ Download Worksheet (PDF)
🎯 What You'll Learn

Learning Objectives

1

Understand different forms of currency in colonial times

2

Explain how colonists exchanged goods and services

3

Recognize the challenges of economic systems

📖 Scripture Connection

Proverbs 13:11

“Wealth gotten by vanity shall be diminished: but he that gathereth by labour shall increase.”

— Proverbs 13:11 (WEB)

Demonstrates God's wisdom about earning and managing resources honestly

📦 Materials Needed

  • Play money or paper currency replicas
  • Sample trade goods (corn, tobacco samples)
  • Chart paper
  • Markers
📚 Step-by-Step

Lesson Plan

1Opening (5 min)

Introduce colonial money challenges by showing different currency types and trade goods

💭 Review Question: How do you think people bought things if they didn't have paper money?
2Teaching (10 min)

Explain colonial monetary systems including coins, paper money, and barter trading

📌 Key Talking Points:
  • English coins were rare in the colonies
  • Colonists often traded goods directly
  • Different regions used different trading methods
  • Some colonies printed their own paper money
💬 Discussion Questions:
  • What challenges would you face trading goods instead of money?
  • How might trading crops be different from using coins?
  • Why was having a consistent currency important?
3Activity: Colonial Trade Simulation (10 min)
hands-on

Students practice trading goods and understanding value

📝 Instructions:
  1. Divide class into groups representing different colonies
  2. Give each group sample trade goods
  3. Students must negotiate and trade without using modern money
  4. Track exchanges on a group chart
🔄 Variations:

Simpler: Teacher helps guide trades

Challenge: Add limited trade restrictions and economic rules

4Closing (5 min)

Summarize how colonial economies were complex and required creativity

📝 Review Questions:
  • What did you learn about trading in colonial times?
  • Why was bartering important?
  • How is our money system different today?
🙏 Prayer:

Dear God, thank you for teaching us about how people worked together and traded to build communities.

Coming up: Next week, we'll explore how colonial economies impacted different groups of people

💎 Memory Verse

Proverbs 13:11

“Wealth gotten by vanity shall be diminished: but he that gathereth by labour shall increase.”

— Proverbs 13:11 (WEB)

🎯 Activity: Barter Verse Challenge - students must trade words to complete the verse

👨‍👩‍👧 For Parents

Teaching Notes

📚 Background:

Colonial economies were complex systems of trade and exchange

💡 Teaching Tips:
  • Discuss modern equivalents of trading
  • Help child understand economic interdependence
  • Encourage critical thinking about value
🤔 Common Struggles:

Understanding abstract economic concepts

👀 Signs of Understanding:

Child's ability to explain basic trade principles

🚀 Want More?

Extension Activities

  • Create a colonial trade journal
  • Research a specific colony's economic system
  • Build a model of a colonial marketplace

Ready for Tomorrow?

Great job completing today's lesson!

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