Sam X Renick & Sammy Rabbit Pope Air Force Base, NC, Earth Day

1. Sam X Renick & Sammy Rabbit Pope Air Force Base, NC, Earth Day Teaching and Integrating Lessons on Smart Money Habits, Reading, and Writing

3. Get in the Habit – Chorus Get in the habit…Like Sammy Rabbit Saving money…All the time You can do it…Now let’s get to it From every dollar…Save a dime!

4. Get in the Habit! 2 ½ Minutes – 5 “Big” Ideas • What anyone can learn or be reminded of from the song: • Saving is a smart-great habit (What action to take) • From every dollar save a dime (How much to start making a habit of saving) • Money grows when you save it (Motivation to save) • It isn’t funny when you have no money (Motivation to save) • You can do it, now get to it (Builds confidence and esteem. Must act to have impact. It is empowering – much better than assuming or sharing with someone that they can’t save.)

5. Summary – Appeal • Effective: Tools Are Tested /Produced Outcomes for Students and Teachers • Multiple Modes of Communicating Lessons • Story Books  Work Books  Music  Stickers  Coloring • Address Multiple intelligences/Variety of Learning Styles • Provide Creative Repetition/Reinforcement of Lessons • Predict the Chapter Title Aligns with Education Standards for Reading Comprehension • Author’s perspective • Engage, Educate and Have Emotional Appeal

6. Scope of Evaluation University of Maryland Cooperative Extension (UMCE) Parents & Teachers As Wealth Coaches Research Project Scope of Project and Evaluation • Conducted by: Megan O’Neil-Haight, UMCE Finance Educator • Conducted between 2006 and 2008 • 2,400 hours of early childhood personal finance education presented • In 3 counties: Worcester, Wicomico & Somerset (primarily low income) • 5,831 students, Pre K through 5, ages 3 to 11 • 347 teachers • 147 classes • Plus more than 8,000 parents received take home materials

7. Findings – Students UMCE Parents & Teachers as Wealth Coaches Research Project Findings from “Pre” and “Post” Testing: Student Increases • Understanding of meaning of “saving” • Believe they have choice on how to use money • Understand goal setting for savings • Understand working toward a goal is sometimes hard • Believe they can get into a habit of saving that will last a whole life • Believe saving and reading are good habits • Believe they can save a lot of money

8. Teacher Findings UMCE Parents & Teachers as Wealth Coaches Research Project Findings From Survey of 72 Teachers Excellent Good Poor Appropriateness of materials 76% 24% -- Presentation held my interest 67% 46% <1% Quality of handout materials 75% 22% <1% Value of presentation to me 68% 31% <1% Overall quality of presentation 64% 31% <1%

9. Teacher Findings UMCE Parents & Teachers as Wealth Coaches Research Project Findings From Survey of 72 Teachers Which of the following do you plan to do NOW that you did not plan to do or were unsure of before receiving today’s program? Talk more with children/youth about money matters: 63% Teach children/youth more effectively about money matters: 43% Improve my own money management: 33% Increase my own savings: 43% Decrease my own debt: 25%

10. Story Book and Work Book Storybook: Primary theme-lesson: saving is a great habit Secondary lessons on: wants and needs, wasting, choice making, compounding, sharing, leadership Special feature: Predict the Chapter Title builds reading comprehension skills Workbook: Supplements storybook and contains 16 activities that build saving, reading, writing and choice making skills Targets: Ages 5 to 8 / Grades Pre K-2 Institute for Financial Literacy Book of the Year

11. Unique Feature Adds Value / Extra Benefit • Predict the Chapter Title: • Builds reading skills, confidence, esteem • Aligns with standards for reading comprehension • Makes book interactive and engaging Aligns with Standards for Reading Comprehension

12. University of Rutgers Review Project on Economics and Children In It's A Habit, Sammy Rabbit!, one in a series of books featuring this happy-go-lucky bunny, Sammy learns from his grandmother that saving some carrots every day is a prudent habit that can really pay off in the future. When a bad storm washes away the family's shed, Sammy learns firsthand just how valuable his stash of carrots has become. Author Sam X Renick, a financial educator, has written a series of books featuring different lessons that Sammy Rabbit learns about saving money and developing smart money habits. The It's a Habit company also has several music cd's with catchy songs across different genres that can energize children to start earning and saving money in innovative ways. In a market where financial literacy books for children can come across as dry and didactic, the Sammy Rabbit books and music cd's can engage with children and get them interested in becoming financially literate, a major first step toward a lifetime of sound practices associated with saving, spending, and investing. Products Are Recognized and Noteworthy

13. Story Book and Work Book Storybook: Primary themes-lessons: set goal-plan-earn-save; saving is a great habit Secondary lessons on: never giving up, delayed gratification-saying no, work ethic, choice making, giving, leadership Special feature: Predict the Chapter Title builds reading comprehension skills Workbook: Supplements storybook and contains 16 activities that build saving, reading, writing and choice making skills Targets: Ages 6 to 9 / Grades 1-3 Products are Smart, Easy to Use and Understand

14. Color and Learn Coloring Book: 16 pages of coloring that share information on why saving is a great habit plus definitions of key words. Coloring book comes in English and a bilingual Spanish version with English subtitles is also available. Targets: Ages 3 to 8 / Grades Pre K-2 Strategic: Combines Knowledge and Joy!

15. Poster and Sticker Set (10) Poster: 11x17 wall poster contains 10 of Sammy’s favorite sayings on saving Sticker Set: 10 colorful stickers with positive sayings on saving Targets: Ages 3 to 8 / Grades Pre K-3 Creative Repetition and Reinforcement

16. Language of Saving Activity Book Activity Book: 32 pages of activities that introduce and explain 34 saving and money words. Includes activities that build alphabet, spelling and vocabulary skills Targets: Ages 4 to 7 / Grades Pre K-2 Variety of Tools

17. Powerful Messaging: Simple, Strategic, Memorable, Executable

18. Sammy Friends and Influences Ben Franklin “A man may, if he knows not how to save as he gets, keep his nose all his life to the grindstone, and die not worth a groat at last” “Always taking out of the meal-tub, and never putting in, soon comes to the bottom” “Money is of a prolific generating nature. Money can beget money, and its Offspring can beget more, and so on. Benjamin Franklin, The Way to Wealth (The “Ultimate Asset Builder”

19. Sammy Friends and Influences Other Expert Sources “Pay yourself first.” FDIC – Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation: Money Smart Curriculum “Saving is important. One of the best ways to improve your overall financial picture is to save money every month, even if it is only a small amount.” NEFE – National Endowment for Financial Education “The greatest lessons about saving money hit us when we're kids, especially from nursery rhymes…” ASEC – American Savings Education Council “Saving for the future is how you stay secure and pave the road to your dreams…The best way to save is to put money away on the same day every month, as regularly as clockwork…” Suze Orman, Financial Author-Expert

20. John McCombs, Principal Emerson Elementary Riverside Enterprise Press “Renick’s presentation nicely mixes lessons on saving, reading and writing…” Riverside Press Enterprise