Cincinnati Magazine: Show them the money

The first online comment to the Cincinnati Magazine article – “Show them the money: $martPath uses puppets to teach kids financial literacy” – is a spot-on endorsement:  

“What a fantastic (and creative) way to help young people understand the financial choices they will be making the rest of their lives. Learning at a young age will give these kids a HUGE advantage over their peers. Kudos to Julie Heath!”  

The magazine article profiles Julie Heath, director of the Alpaugh Family Economics Center at the University of Cincinnati, and the evolution of $martPath, an award-winning series of videos that teaches young students about economic concepts via cartoons and puppetry. The video stories, with bears, skunks, and robot puppets, illustrate how to save money and distinguish between cash and credit. 

The article’s author goes into great detail to explain how a rapping puppeteer, a public TV station, and a UC economist team up to teach children about financial aliteracy and making good choices.

“We’re not teaching a 5-year-old to write a check,” Heath says in the article. “We’re teaching a 5-year-old that if you borrow something, you give it back in the same condition they gave it to you. We’re teaching a 5-year-old that if you choose this, you’re giving up that.”

$martPath celebrated the release of its first six puppet videos with a red-carpet event in February 2020. Published on the $martPath website, YouTube, and PBS Learning Media, the 5- to 10-minute clips and accompanying lesson plans proved instant hits among kids, teachers, and parents. They also won three regional Emmys and were spotlighted on CNBC.

Read the article

Feature image at top Julie Heath.