Some of the children at Spateston ELC have been busy organising a spring market. It was decided that we would tie in our spring market alongside the celebrations of King Charles’s coronation, as many children had been exploring the history of the royal family who lived in England. Some children showed a keen interest in developing the market, so we formed a committee. As the children have participated in planting over the last few months, we were able to produce over 40 tomato plants and 30 pepper plants. Using a mind map we explored the different products we could sell to our families and wider community, and it was decided that we would link in with the social zone to make jam, scones and bread using all the baking resources available.
The social zone were a huge help supporting the baking production line and everyone worked collaboratively to bake enough products to sell. It was decided we would make 140 scones, and these would be placed into bags of 4. With the help of the children, we were able to reach out to our families and the local community by handing out leaflets, posting on Facebook and children asked the local shopkeepers to pass on the information to all their customers. During preparation for the market, the children created badges in the creative area so that people could see who was selling the products to them. Children and staff worked together to make a price list to ensure that the market was profitable. Cashiers were appointed and everyone knew their role on the day. We had a huge turnout of families and the local residents who came along to buy the products. The children enjoyed exploring money, working alongside staff to give the correct change back. Children displayed confidence when approaching the customers and were able to encourage people to buy them. The focus on the spring market was to implement entrepreneurial skills and guide children for their future enterprise adventures. It was also to make connections with our families and our local environment. The profit made is going to support the growth of our allotment area and we look forward to the next market!
