You Can't Buy a Dinosaur With a Dime Q&A
Use these questions with children 5 to 8 years old to discuss the following economics concepts in You Can’t Buy a Dinosaur with a Dime: saving and spending.
Book written by Harriet Ziefert (ISBN: 1-929766-81-5).
This book is available on https://www.bookshare.org/cms/ for free to schools and students with reading barriers.
View all of our Parent Q&A resources.
Questions:
1. Where did Pete keep his money?
Pete kept his money in a jar.
2. Where would be a better place for Pete to keep his money?
Pete could keep his money in an account at a bank or credit union. Also, banks and credit unions pay interest on savings—so you can reach a savings goal a little bit faster. (Note to parents: Banks and credit unions are a safe place to keep savings because the money is protected from loss [up to $250,000 per account].)
3. Saving means putting money aside to buy things later. What was Pete saving his money for?
Pete wanted to buy a toy.
4. Spending means using money to buy goods or services now. What did Pete first spend his money on at Harry’s Store and how much did he spend?
Pete spent $3.20 on a green dinosaur.
5. After buying the first dinosaur, Pete only had 30 cents left. How did Pete get more money to save?
Pete carried out old papers, swept the dirty floor, sorted the recycling, earned an allowance, found a dime on the sidewalk, and sold baseball cards to Kate.
6. The second time Pete shopped at Harry’s Store, he decided to buy a small dinosaur? Why do you think he made this decision?
The small dinosaur was $2.00 and the triceratops was $3.00. Pete probably didn’t want to spend all of his money but save some instead.
7. If you had $3.50 like Pete, what would you do with it?
Answers will vary.
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