Try some of the following ideas:
* Electronic scales: use digital kitchen scales to weigh goods.
* Phone orders: use an audio cassette player to record phone orders. This will act like an answer phone - the children can listen to the messages and pre-pack orders ready for collection. Children could also record replies, such as 'Mrs Jones, your order is ready for collection.'
* The checkout: set up an old monitor and keyboard or, if you can spare it, use a working computer system. All computers have a basic text editor, for example, Notepad on PCs, which children could explore to create orders. If you have a word processing programme that has a pictorial word bank, for example, Clicker or Talking First Word, then children could create pictorial receipts. Download the free My World coins screen from the Association of Teachers of Mathematics website. Show children how to print their work and encourage them to do this independently. Alternatively, provide a collection of printed till receipts or use a till roll for the children to write their own receipts. Include a calculator so the children can work out costs.
* Bar code scanner: explain that goods have bar codes on them to identify the product and its price. Ask children if they have seen goods being scanned at checkouts. Can they identify bar codes on packaging? Provide goods with bar codes and create a bar code scanner: use a torch as a light source and encourage children to pass the goods across the beam - they will produce their own sound effects!
* Credit card payment: use old loyalty cards from a supermarket or garage and create a 'card-swiper' using a dual-pot yoghurt container upside-down.
* Cash register: consider buying an electronic till such as the one from the Early Learning Centre (15 including batteries). This features a fully functioning calculator, a till that opens realistically, card swipe noises, play money, a credit card and pretend barcode scanner.
* Arrange a trip to a local shop or supermarket. Let children buy a small item and pay for it themselves at the till.
April Jones, director of Computer Kids
www.computerkidsonline.com
Sources
* My World software: www.granadalearning.com
* Association of Teachers of Mathematics: http://www.atm.org.uk/resources/myworld. html
