The Money Mammals Financial Literacy DVD: We’ll Share & Save & Spend Smart Too!

Young children may not understand exactly how currency works, or even be able to tell the difference between a quarter and a dime. But they should be able to grasp simple financial literacy concepts… as long as they’re presented in an engaging age-appropriate way. The Money Mammals is a DVD produced especially for younger children, to teach them some basic concepts about money. These concepts are reflected in the DVD’s title, “We’ll Share & Save & Spend Smart Too.” The story’s characters are cute new puppets, including Joe the Monkey, Piggs the Bank, Clara J. Camel and Marmoset the Monkey. The content is presented primarily using catchy original songs to get the main points across. In fact, don’t be surprised if you find yourself singing along with your grandchild! The animals first learn that they need a certain amount of money to buy a certain thing. Piggs the Bank and Joe the Monkey realize they can use 1 coin to buy the trading card they want — the corresponding song is “One Coin (for the Coconut Card).” They then learn their friend Clara wants a red straw hat and decide to buy it for her birthday — but they soon realize they need to save 4 coins in order to buy it. This means they must make a choice not to buy more trading cards in order to save up to buy the hat for Clara. These “sharing,” “saving,” and “spending smart” messages are backed up with songs such as, “Reasons to Save,” and “Let’s Make the Right Choice,” which are, again, likable tunes that drive the points home in a fun, non-preachy way. The Money Mammals DVD has clear learning objectives and we believe it achieves them. But we’re guessing your grandkids won’t even realize they’re supposed to be learning!