Saving Is A Hard-Earned Lesson

Morgan Yost, a student at Pasadena Park Elementary, eagerly hoped for an American Girl doll for her seventh birthday. So, her mother made her a deal. If Morgan saved enough to cover half of the price, her parents would contribute the remainder.

After six months of chores and thriftiness, Morgan saved $47, happily took possession of the doll and learned a valuable lesson about money in the process.

Acquiring money sense is a skill children learn beginning in the home by what they see, hear and experience. Washington State University Cooperative Extension offers a resource for parents who wish to teach their kids about money management.

“Money Sense for Your Children” is a six-lesson home-study series written by Sally Horton, family economics specialist, to assist parents in teaching their children from preschoolers to teenagers lessons ranging from earning and spending money to discerning needs from wants.

Each lesson, mailed to subscribers’ home every other week, includes an introduction for parents, concise information on a money-related topic and age-appropriate activities for family members which reinforce the topic. The first lesson gives an overview of money management. The next four lessons cover topics such as earning allowances, setting up a savings plan, sharing money through charity work, establishing a budget and spending money wisely. The last lesson answers questions frequently asked by parents.

To register for “Money Sense for Your Children,” send your name, address and a $10 check payable to: WSU Cooperative Extension, Money Sense, 222 N. Havana, Spokane, WA 99202-4799.

The deadline for registration is Feb. 28.

Expand your cultural horizons

Worldwide International Student Exchange (WISE) is looking for families to host a high school foreign exchange student for the 1996-97 school year.

Students arrive in late August from Europe, South America and Japan. They speak English and bring their own spending money and medical insurance.

Host families provide room and board and involvement in family life - and in turn, receive the benefits of making a friend and learning about another culture.

Host family applications will be accepted until May.

For more information, call Marcia Dorwin at 926-1883 or the WISE office, (800) 264-0948.

Song lyrics deciphered

A new monthly magazine is aimed at parents with concerns about the messages children receive through radio, television, movies and computers.

Each issue of Entertainment Monitor contains more than 200 summaries of chart-topping songs in various categories such as rock, pop, rap, R&B and country. Each song is deciphered and the theme is summarized along with warnings about potentially offensive lyrics and translations of the latest slang.

Also included in the magazine are stories about TV programs, feature films and Internet sites to help parents keep tabs on industry trends.

Entertainment Monitor is nonpartisan and is not affiliated with any organization, nor will it accept funding from the entertainment industry.

A year’s subscription is $36. To subscribe, call (800) 777-7016 or write to P.O. Box 81, Hollywood, CA 90099.

, DataTimes MEMO: The Family Track is a weekly column of notes and information for families. Send items to Lynn Gibson, Features Department, P.O. Box 2160, Spokane, WA 99210-1615, or fax (509) 459-5098.