Money Munchkids Financial Education Homeschool Curriculumis a curriculum that was developed to combat the lack of financial knowledge in our country. It was created by Money Munchkids and Victoria Khaze with the help of various teachers across the planet. The curriculum is designed for ages five to nine, in Kindergarten through 3^rd grade. A single instructor’s guide book can be used with any or all of the four levels—kindergarten, 1^st, 2^nd, and 3^rd grade, making this ideal for families with children in multiple grades. The instructor’s guide and one workbook together are $80; additional workbooks for other grades can be purchased for $60 each. There are 35 lessons in the instructor’s guide, each expected to take 30 to 45 minutes to complete. A typical lesson includes a review, a lecture that may include a video, and a story to read. The corresponding student workbook pages are also assigned. At the front of the book, there is a list of videos, all available on YouTube, as well as book suggestions, many of which should be available at your local library. The accompanying workbook, specific to your child’s grade level, is colorful and has a variety of activities such as word searches, scavenger hunts, word scrambles, quizzes, and activities. Each lesson also includes details about what standards it meets for Common Core, McRel International, TESOL, and NASAFACS.

The curriculum is dyslexia and autism-friendly and has been marked “Autism Approved” by the Autism Hope Alliance. The lessons and learning activities encompass seven different learning styles, meaning it will keep all types of learners engaged. The curriculum I received is specific for homeschoolers, but Money Munch Kids also has a curriculum for brick and mortar school students. A typical lesson includes a lecture/discussion (sometimes with an activity before or after it) and a quiz or homework out of the workbook. Other lessons include suggestions for books to read or videos to watch related to the lessons. I liked that not all the lessons followed the same format.

I used this program with my 3^rd and 4^th graders, one who has mild dyslexia, and one who has more severe dyslexia and has high functioning autism. My kids are very interested in money and have been investing for college, saving, and budgeting for items that they want to buy for a few years now, so they probably aren’t the ideal target audience for these books in that they are likely more financially savvy than other kids their age. That said, they found the first few lessons a bit too slow. However, by Lesson 10, they were learning new material and interested in what they were being taught. We did three lessons a week during the duration of this review, but if I was using it as part of our homeschool curriculum, one lesson a week would be perfect because it would cover the entire school year that way. I appreciated that the lessons also had video and book suggestions; the videos were my kids’ favorite part, then the workbook pages. My mildly dyslexic child had no problem completing the worksheets, but my more severe dyslexic child did skip some activities because they were too difficult for her. (Note that she is reading at an early 1^st- grade level, so she would have benefited from using a workbook at the 1^st- grade level rather than the 3^rd- grade level workbook.)

There is only one suggestion I have for improvement. I would have appreciated a bit more guidance for the lecture portion. The book includes questions to ask to facilitate the discussion, but I would have appreciated more details and examples about what I should explain to the kids.

If you would like to make sure that your children have an early start to being financially savvy, Money Munchkids may be just the program you are looking for.

--Product Review by Melissa Batai, The Old Schoolhouse® Magazine, LLC, April 2019