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Students explore how sharing and taking turns helps solve the problem of scarcity.
Imagine there is only one red crayon left in the box, but you and your best friend both need it to finish your drawings right now. How can you both be happy?
In our classroom, we have many fun things to use, like crayons, books, and balls. But sometimes, we have a problem: there is only ball, but friends want to play! When there is not enough of something for everyone to use at the same time, we call this scarcity. Because of scarcity, we have to make smart choices about how we use our things so that everyone stays happy.
Quick Check
What is the special word for when there is not enough of something for everyone?
Answer
Scarcity
How do we solve the problem of scarcity? We use sharing! One way to share is by taking turns. This means you use the toy first, and then your friend uses it next. To make it fair, you can use a timer. If you have minutes of play time, you can split it so you each get a turn. This way, the limited resource is used by everyone.
There is only swing and friends, Sam and Lily. 1. Sam and Lily agree to take turns. 2. Sam swings while Lily counts to . 3. When Lily reaches , Sam stops. 4. Lily gets her turn to swing while Sam counts.
Quick Check
If two friends want to use one swing, what can they use to make sure the turns are fair?
Answer
They can count or use a timer.
Sometimes, we don't have to wait for a turn! We can share by working together. If there is only box of blocks, you and your friend can build big tower together. This is called cooperation. Instead of waiting, you are both using the limited resource at the same time to reach a goal. This makes the resource feel like it is enough for everyone.
There is box of crayons for students. 1. The students put the box in the middle of the table. 2. Student A picks a blue crayon. 3. Student B picks a yellow crayon at the same time. 4. When they need a new color, they put the crayon back and pick a different one.
There are students who want to play a math game on computer. 1. They look at the clock and see they have minutes before lunch. 2. They divide the time: minutes each. 3. They write their names on a list to show who goes first, second, and third. 4. They use a timer to know when to switch.
If there is only slide and kids, what is this called?
Which of these is a way to share a box of blocks?
Using a timer makes taking turns more fair.
Review Tomorrow
Tomorrow, try to remember the word 'Scarcity' and tell someone what it means using the example of a playground swing.
Practice Activity
The next time you want to play with a toy that a friend is using, try to make a 'Turn Plan' using a timer or by counting.