Did you know that April is “National Financial Literacy Month” and a great opportunity to put teaching children of all ages about the basics of finance at the top of the list!
Teaching financial literacy to kids at a young age is a priority for famed investor and philanthropist, Warren Buffett. To make learning fun, Mr. Buffett became an animated character in his own animated series, Warren Buffett’s Secret Millionaires Club , lending his image and voice to the television series created by Genius Brands International that offers tips to kids on practical money management.
As Mr. Buffett said in a Forbes interview, “ It’s never too early to help kids understand about money. Whether it’s understanding the cost of the new toy they want, or the value of saving money. Kids are exposed to money matters from a very young age, so why not help them understand it and develop healthy habits early on?”
Produced for kids 6–11, Secret Millionaires Club engages kids with basic lessons in business and imparts healthy habits from an early age. In the series, Warren Buffett is a mentor to a group of kids, helping them learn about the “business of life” through a series of adventures. Every episode offers valuable life lessons, and as Mr. Buffett reminds the kids at the end of every episode, “the best investment you can make is an investment in yourself!”
Mr. Buffett’s celebrity friends appear as special guests in episodes of Secret Millionaires Club, including Jay Z, Bill Gates, Shaquille O’Neal, Gisele Bündchen, Kelly Rowland, Nick Cannon and others who impart their own positive lessons.
“Given the current state of the economy, it is imperative that parents begin teaching their kids about financial responsibility at a young age, and the Secret Millionaires Club provides an entertainment platform for parents and children to participate and learn together in a fun and safe environment.”
Mr. Warren Buffett
There are many ways to learn and enjoy Secret Millionaires Club with your children:
Secret Millionaires Club Volumes 1 & 2 are available on DVD from Cinedigm.
Volume 1 e pisodes include: Be Cool to your School, Neither a Borrower nor a Lender Be, Dude, When Pigs Fly, The Cost of Giving, Elena’s Shaqtastic Adventure (featuring Shaquille O’Neal), Avast Ye Downloads. Plus five additional animated shorts.
Volume 2 episodes include: Down and Out in Beijing, Listen to the Music, Paranormally We Don’t Do This Kind of Thing, The Final Financial Fronteir, Sweeeet!, Just Say Snow. Plus five additional animated shorts.
The book Secret Millionaires Club: Warren Buffett’s 26 Secrets to Success in the Business of Life ($24.95) by Amy Heyward and Andy Heyward, co-authors and co-executive producers on the animated series, is available at retail and online at Amazon.com. The book features all of the same lessons featured in the animated series. Chapters include, “Don’t Be Afraid to Make Mistakes;” “Love What You Do;” “Protect Your Reputation;” “If You Fail, Try Again;” Confidence Comes With Understanding,” and many other lessons from Mr. Buffett, which he credits for his own success in life.
The Secret Millionaires Club Learn & Earn program , available at www.smckids.com, teaches financial literacy and entrepreneurship through activities for the classroom, home, and other settings where students and families learn. It was developed to extend the lessons of the Secret Millionaires Club webisodes and prime-time TV specials, both of which feature Warren Buffett. Now, classrooms, homes, and learning settings across the country can benefit from the knowledge of this financial guru and his fictional friends!
A robust array of materials sponsored by the Fairholme Foundation has been developed for distribution to schools, youth organizations, and families. Classroom-specific activities are based on Common Core State Standards to ensure maximum integration and seamless implementation.
And sponsored by Fairhome Foundation is the annual Secret Millionaires Club “Grow Your Own Business Challenge, ” currently it its 4th year. The contest encourages kids to put the lessons learned from Secret Millionaires Club to practical use by applying what they’ve learned to come up with their own original business ideas. More than 100,000 classrooms and youth organizations nationwide have taken advantage of the free tools and lessons for teaching good financial habits to youth. Finalists will present their ideas to Warren Buffett and a panel of judges during a private lunch in Omaha in May 2015. Each individual and group winner will be awarded a $5,000 scholarship. Finalists also nominate an educator to join them in Omaha, and educators can win a grant worth up to $1,000. Winners of this year’s challenge will to be announced in May.
Additionally, there are plenty of games your children can play on www.smckids.com , such as Number Blaster, Counting Money, What Do You Now About Business and Business-Building Brainstorm, and comic books. Current products available can be purchased at the Secret Millionaires Club online store: https://secretmillionairesclubshop.com . And get ready for new products debuting this summer!
My thoughts: I don’t think it is ever to early to teach your child about money; how to save it, how to make it and how to spend it. I received a copy of Secret Millionaires Club, Volume 1 DVD to review. I showed this video to my eight year-old son, Braxton. He honestly didn’t seem very interested in the concept, but enjoyed the animation. I will probably show this DVD again to him when he is a little bit older.
As for myself, this DVD has some amazing information that I wish I would have had when I was young and stupid. I really could have been a millionaire by now if I had learned these money concepts! My husband and I received two inheritences in our early marriage and simply blew right through them. If only we would have known back then what we have learned now.. I will definitely start applying Warren Buffet’s concepts and principals in my life from now on when it comes to money management. I am also going to make my older children watch it before they make the same financial mistakes that their parents did!
Win! To celebrate Financial Literacy Month, Genius Brands International has teamed up with Cinedigm to offer two giveaway copies of Secret Millionaires Club, Volume 1 DVD (SRP: $14.93)
How? It’s easy! Just enter to win using the Rafflecopter form below. Good luck!
For more information go to: www.smckids.com
Facebook: www.facebook.com/SecretMillionairesClub
Twitter: www.twitter.com/thesmckids
Disclaimer: I was sent a copy of this DVD to review and to keep. All opinions are my own.
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