News: Piggy Banks used in educational board game
A family in Humboldt, Wisconsin is responsible for creating a fresh boardgame on the market. Geared towards teaching financial education to children, Bank “O” La first began to take form when Tricia and Bryan Fontaine made up a game on a sheet of paper to help their daughter Brooklyn count nickels, dimes, and quarters. They eventually used 4 sheets of paper for the board; game pieces and piggy banks were incorporated to complete their project. Soon the entire family got hooked on playing the game, providing the inpiration to turn their creation into an educational product for others to enjoy. They invested $40K to produce 5,000 units of the game, which they are now marketing to distributors. Thanks to a demonstration provided at a teachers’ convention in Green Bay, some talk has already been generated about it’s application in the educational system. Thanks to the Fontaine family for taking a chance with their original idea while facilitating children’s financial wisdom in the process. [news source: Green Bay Press Gazette, “Family is counting on Bank ‘O’ La game”, 08-02-06, written by Mike Hoeft]
