C
ounting back change to a customer ensures that the customer is receiving the correct amount of change as well as making sure the cashier doesn’t give the customer too much change or not enough change. Counting back change is also a dying art.
I had the opportunity to meet with a group of students to present lesson called “Count it Back” for the GearUp Program. When we started our session one out of six students understood and had the ability to count back change. By the time we finished, five out of six of those students had acquired the skill needed to be able to give a person back the correct amount of change.
The lesson helped them identify coins and the amount each represents as well as paper money, or currency as we call it. There are many opportunities for our youth to practice and need the skill of counting back money. This skill is still important and can be used at convenient stores, restaurants, concession stands and many more places.
I wish you could have seen their faces when we started the lesson. They were in awe and didn’t grasp the concept at all. Hands on learning with a partner gave them the practice they needed to be able to excel at a skill that some of us probably view as easy. By the end of our lesson the students were asking for difficult amounts to work with and they wanted limited change to see if they could still get the right total.
At the end of our time together they understood that counting back change is important to the consumer and the business owner.
In other news, Sherry and I have been troubleshooting with FairEntry, helping handle the questions that come up and doing our part in trying to make this first year with this program a success. We have a wide range of questions that come in and are able to help them get entered. By the time you see this report our entries will almost be closed and we will be preparing our reports for our superintendents and fair secretaries. New is a little scary but the efficiency of the program will be a positive switch for us. Fair prep has taken up the bulk of my time this month and I am very thankful that our 4-H Agent has arrived!