Money in years 3&4

[naughtymummy]

I have just.got back from the park with dd(yR) ds (yr 3). I was sitting outside the cafeand the children asked for a drink. I gave them £3 and told them to buy themselves a drink (the drinks.were priced between £75p and 1.25. Would you expect your yr 3/4 child to be able.to work out which drink they could have? Ds is.easily able.to do this.but.the.visiting child couldn't work it out. Was I being unreasonable.expecting her too?

I would never present 3 children with 2 biscuits, thats mad. A group of adults wouldn't do this, why fabricate fake opportunities for maths?

Remember the amount of variables and the conversion. The prices varied between 75p and £1.25. Imagining your average cafe I would guess there would be 3 or 4 prices of drink, 75p, 99p, £1 and £1.25. There may have been even more and at odd prices (£1.08 for example.)

It isnt a case of 'how many 75p drinks can you have?' - there are 4 drinks prices and 3 children so...12 variables? (I may have that wrong, please feel free to correct me.) The maths simply isn't as easy as you make out - if they all suggest a fairly cheap drink then fine but what if they all want more expensive and go over £3? Then they have to work out which price they must go down to and who will exchange their drink for a cheaper one. There's a lot of estimation in there for children who probably don't actually use money that often in their day to day lives.

I would not be especially concerned about a year 4 who couldnt do this, although Im not saying the maths is infinitely too hard. Even I was suprised I wouldnt consider it my buisness. Why on earth does it matter? If you had come on here and said 'my sons 13 year old friend couldn't do this' I would still be baffled. What has it to do with you?

Your kid is brighter than his friend who is older so therefore your kid is amazing.

Is that what you wanted?

Oh well, there's probably a discussion going on in the school playground about the relative stinginess of some parents when it comes to buying their children and guests drinks and offering them fractions of biscuits...

I think this is quite a complicated thing to ask a year 3 child. The child needs to:

1. know there are 100p in £1 and so 300p in £3

2. know number bonds to 100

3. understand 3 digit numbers

4. add more than 2 numbers together

5. be able to subtract a 3-digit number from another 3-digit number

6. calculate mentally

7. solve a real life problem

8. use negotiation skills

I'm not surprised a year 3 child struggled with this.

you misunderstood Juniper, Y3 ds was 'easily able to do' this
Just older friend who couldn't.

Your phone can't punctuate? It has poor grammar and spelling too.

I guess it all depends on their actual experience with money. Dd yr2 can do these sort of calculations with me questioning her, but more in terms of we have got three of these things which cost x amount, if we give this coin, is that enough, will we get change (have v sympathetic sweet shop). It would have been fairer to give each child one pound drat this phone with no pound sign! Then she probably would have managed and no arguements, I always go for the battle free option!

Maybe yr 4 child was being polite and realised that s/he couldn't actually have a drink at all if your two chose drinks totalling £2.50 so declined. That is what ds would do in that situation (he is yr 3 but has excellent manners ).

He would only have mentioned your dcs rudeness and your meaness to me when I collected him later.

Poor kid! Thirsty, cafe environment, tired (after school), AND has to do mental maths and remember manners (so doesn't ask for the most expensive drink).... but at least we know your child CAN do the maths.

Ok. It was saturday so not after school. I only had £I also had water in my bag, so creul but not quite that creul.:)3 left as we had all had an ice cream.

Bloody phone I only had £3 as we had all had an ice cream. It was saturday so not after school. I had water with me so they were not dehydrating too badly. Creul but not cruel

Cruel but not that cruel

Guest was round again yesterday, so not too badly scarred I hope

Tho I did ask her to compare duel fuel tarrifs, so hopefully thats the last we will see of her.....

Not if you keep buying her ice creams, it isn't. I suspect she's hoping you've learnt the error of your ways, going out with so little cash to hand on a sunny Saturday...