Our nation can focus on work and productivity or it can focus on buying and consumption. But on which should our focus consist? Without a doubt, our focus should narrow in on productivity! Buying and consuming will always find a way, but productivity is worth our planning and urging. Plus, productivity is always first; as such, it’s our primary focus.

Answer:

This paragraph is a lipogram, a text that omits a certain letter. In this case, it’s missing the most common letter in the English language: the letter “E”!

“E” can also stand for economics, a subject that's also missing from most grade school classrooms and home-school curricula.

That’s a shame because economic principles are everywhere in life. Childhood friendships are interactions that involve negotiation and mutually-beneficial exchanges. A child’s household is a constant balancing act between various family supplies and demands. Sharing is based on the concept of ownership. Chocolate stops tasting good after too many bites because of diminishing marginal utility. And allowance money functions just like any other type of money in our economy: using it to buy one toy rather than another results in an opportunity cost, no matter how old you are.

Were you taught economics as a kid? Probably not. Most of us first encountered it in college, in the form of a dry, boring textbook.

Textbooks don’t leave lasting impressions.

George Nelson, a former astronaut who directs the American Association for the Advancement of Science’s Project 2061, says students are typically faced with "heavy texts full of disconnected facts that neither educate nor motivate them." What’s true for science is also true for economics; if kids can’t relate to economic ideas as presented, they won’t retain the knowledge.

Teaching in a literature-based format

Textbooks don’t leave lasting impressions. Stories do.

Cost Benefit Jr.™: Stories in Microeconomics engages young children to teach them economics in a literature-based format. Students as young as eight can learn complex concepts like supply & demand, opportunity cost, and diminishing marginal utility when they’re presented in simple stories.

In a review for EconLog, economist Art Carden had this to say: "Cost Benefit Jr.™ is awesome! It's truly outstanding, and I don't write that lightly... economics educators - especially home schoolers - will find it extremely useful." You can read the full review at the Library of Economics and Liberty.

Steemit is a great platform for incentivized learning. Please let me know in the comments if economics is an area of learning you think is valuable for younger kids. I'm making the book available for sale at a discount if paid in Steem Dollars - it's normally $27.98 US, but for fellow Steemians the price is reduced to $8 SD. To purchase, you can transfer $8SD to @geke and include your mailing address in the transfer. There are limited copies available, so first-come, first-served.