CHOICES

In the next group of units, you will study economics. This means that you will read about natural resources, like flowers and crops. You will see that some resources can be used in different ways.

You will also read about how people are both buyers and sellers of goods and services; that most people work in jobs in which they produce a few special goods or services; that people in different parts of the world earn a living in a variety of ways; and that money is the way we pay for goods and services.


Unit Overview

Let’s begin…..In this unit, you will see that there are not enough natural resources in the world and that we must learn to make choices. We sometimes need to choose resources that we can use in many different ways.

Now stop and answer question 1.

Natural resources are sometimes difficult to understand, so, for the moment, let’s talk about something that you know a lot about. And that is toys.

Carefully read the following poem, and you will begin to get the idea that children cannot always get all of the toys they want. Sometimes they have to make choices. Sometimes they have to buy one toy and use it in several different ways. Read and enjoy.

In this story poem, the little girl had a hard time understanding that the world is “this or that” and not always “this and that”. In other words, when you make a choice, you have to give up something else.

And it is wise to remember that when you make a choice, it is better to choose something that will have more uses.

Now stop and answer questions 2-5.

Now that you understand that choosing the doll gave the little girl many more hours of good playing time, let’s turn our attention to the wise use of natural resources (things supplied by nature, such as crops, water and trees). Again, we will look at choices that must be made.

Now stop and answer question 6.

Read the poem below.

Stingy John Always Wanted More!

There was a man named Stingy John
Who wanted crops on his front lawn.
But the ground was too small
To plant them all
He had to choose one.

John wanted this crop AND that
Not this crop OR that. “Oh splat!”
He wanted more. What would he do?
Soon, thoughts began to ooze on through.
And reason set in.

“If I plant corn, it will produce
Fuel, food, and sweetener for juice,
And even stalks for Halloween
Surely, bats ‘n cats and witches mean
Will buy from me.

Stingy John was happy now,
And as he wiped his sweaty brow,
He sat straight up and did rejoice:
“I have made the best, right choice,
Corn will give me more, more, more…..”

Bonnie Di Napoli

Now stop and answer question 7. 

This poem clearly shows what farmers need to think about as they plan their crops for the year. Farmers are not stingy, like John, but they have only so much land. Land, sometimes, is a scarcity (scare sa tee). Scarcity means that there is not enough. Therefore, they cannot grow everything they might want to grow.

Now stop and answer questions 8-9

Because they can’t grow everything, farmers must choose to grow the crops that will suit them best. When farmers choose to grow one crop, they cannot grow another. Just like Stingy John, farmers must decide which crop will benefit them most, which crop can be used in many ways.

Products from Corn

Sometimes farmers make unusual choices. While Stingy John thought that growing corn would give him several different products, others might feel differently. Why do you think this farmer chose to grow flowers instead of corn? Farmers decide to plant different things. While Stingy John could benefit from growing corn, the farmer in the painting could benefit more from growing flowers. Flowers can also be used for perfume, medicine, and even food (since there are some edible flowers). Take a moment and study the picture below.

Flower Beds in Holland by Vincent van Gogh

Vincent van Gogh is a very famous painter from a country far away called Holland.  He painted the picture Flower Beds in Holland more than a hundred years ago. This picture shows a farmer on his farm in Holland. He is growing a special crop on his farm.

Message to Adult Mentor

Give help as needed to locate websites with information about the painter Vincent van Gogh.

Do an Internet search for Vincent van Gogh. See what you can learn about him.

Now stop and answer question 10.

Take some time to study the beautiful painting and then think about the following questions.

- What did this farmer decide to grow in his garden? Of course, you can clearly see the beautiful, colorful flowers that he is growing.

- If this farmer decided to plant corn, like Stingy John, what would happen to the flowers? Well, he would not be able grow as many flowers as the corn would take up some of the room, wouldn’t it?

- Why do you think this farmer chose to grow flowers instead of corn? Farmers decide to plant different things. While Stingy John could benefit from growing corn, the farmer in the painting could benefit more from growing flowers.

Message to Adult Mentor

Please help child with the following Internet search.

The farmer in the painting lived in Holland. Do an Internet search now to discover why he planted so many flowers and no corn at all.

Go to the search engine called Google and type in the words “Flowers in Holland”. You may read many websites, but search for the one titled, “Flower Council of Holland – Flowers from Holland”.

Did your search help you understand why farmers in Holland choose to grow flowers instead of corn?

Now stop and answer questions 11-13.

Conclusion: The world is full of “this or that”, not “this and that”. We often have to make choices when there is not enough (scarcity). Sometimes when we make choices, we need to choose the things that can be used in many ways. Stingy John chose corn. The farmer in Holland chose flowers.

Did you know that people, like you and your friends, are both buyers and sellers of goods and services? We will continue our study of economics, and in the next unit, you will discover how people are both buyers and sellers.