Students show off certificates they earned for demonstrating their knowledge during The Money Game.

Students from Rodgers Forge Elementary School gathered on Capitol Hill in Washington, D.C., on May 11, 2006, as guests of Congressman Ben Cardin and Port Discovery, the Children’s Museum in Baltimore. They were on “The Hill” to play The Money Game, a popular interactive game that teaches children about managing their money.

Bank it or invest it. Share it or blow it.

Those are some of the primary ways to handle money, and the message to the Rodgers Forge students was that it is never too early to start learning about financial concepts. Port Discovery created the innovative children’s financial literacy program in 1998, with support from Citigroup and CitiFinancial, Maryland. It is a permanent program at the museum and in great demand by teachers and students throughout the Mid-Atlantic region.

Rodgers Forge students take a break during their visit to Capitol Hill in Washington, D.C.

Rodgers Forge game players were divided into two competing teams that answered financial literacy questions and played interactive games in three challenging rounds. The game is structured to stimulate interest and lead to understanding about what money is and what you can do with it. The game had the look and feel of a television game show with larger-than-life props and an exciting game show host. The Money Game is a fantastic mathematics lesson focused on spending, saving, and investing. The students quickly got involved in the lesson and left with new knowledge about financial literacy.

Not only did the students enjoy playing The Money Game, meeting Congressman Cardin and distinguished guests from Port Discovery, Citigroup, and CitiFinancial, they were also treated to a personal tour of the U.S. Capitol through the generosity of Colin McGinnis, a Rodgers Forge parent and senior policy advisor to Senator Christopher Dodd.

Story by Susan Deise, principal, Rodgers Forge Elementary School, submitted by James Baldwin, technology integration teacher and Good News Ambassador, Rodgers Forge Elementary School. Photos courtesy of Rodgers Forge Elementary School.