Perfect a Piggy Bank

Your child may hear expressions such as, "money doesn't grow on trees," but until he experiences managing a budget firsthand, these ideas will mean little to him. It's never too early to instill the value of saving and spending wisely in your child. This activity combines crafting with lessons in financial management, as your child makes his own "Piggy Bank." He will learn the value of the dollar as he works to save up enough cash for his favorite toys, books, and candies. Once your child has accumulated enough money to buy his goods of choice, he will take great pride in his independence!

What You Need:

• Scissors
• Toilet paper tube
• Colored markers or crayons
• Cottage cheese container and lid (cleaned and dried)
• Colored construction paper
• Glue or rubber cement
• Tape
• Pink pipe cleaner

What You Do:

1. Help your child cut a long rectangular strip from pink construction paper. This strip should be long enough to wrap around the outside of the cottage cheese container. Help your child glue or tape the colored rectangle over the label and let it dry. This will make up the pig's body.
2. Have your child trace the shape of the circular lid onto a piece of pink paper and cut out the shape. Paste the circle onto the top of the lid.
3. Take the toilet paper tube and cut off a 2-inch section. Have him cut another rectangle from the pink paper and paste it to the outside of the cut-off section. After the glue has dried, have your child trace a circle that will cover one end of the open tube. Cut the circle out and paste it to the front of one open circle on the tube. This will be the pig's snout.
4. Encourage your child to draw a face for the pig. Guide him by drawing a round circle and cutting it out. Have him decorate the face with eyes and ears (cut out from pink paper and glued onto the sides of the face). Help your child paste the snout in the correct spot.
5. Allow your child to glue the face to the outside of the cottage cheese container toward the upper portion. This will be the front.
6. Ask your child what a pig's tail looks like, and show him how to twist a curlicue shape. Glue or tape it to the opposite end as the face.
7. Cut a slot in the middle of the lid. This is where your child will '"feed" his Piggy Bank, so make sure that it is wide enough to accept coins and folded dollars.
8. Once the glue has dried from attaching the pig's face and tail, help your child put the lid of his piggy bank on.

Let your child pick a name for his Piggy Bank (maybe he looks like a Wilbur?!) and then advise him to feed the pig his allowance because he gets hungry. Help him keep track of how much money is in there, and empty the pig's belly when he has enough money for his purchase!