This page compiles content from our website which includes or links to instructional materials. It is organized into sections by where it appears on the site. Click on a heading below to jump to that section.
MFEC Conference Presentations
Web Resources
Partner Projects
MFEC Conference Presentations
BizKid$
Presented by Heidi Knudson, Altana Federal Credit Union
An overview of the PBS show Biz Kid$, where kids teach kids about money and business. More information on Heidi Knudson and her use of the BizKid$ program can be found here.
Choice and Chance Finance
Presented by Molly Rose Fehringer, First Interstate Foundation
Describes the board game developed to teach teenagers about personal finance, entrepreneurship, and the free market economy.
Financial Fitness for Teens
Presented by Megan Vincent – OPI
Are you ready to inform and inspire teens to sharpen their skills in money management, consumerism, and financial planning? Gain ideas and experience activities in Financial Fitness focusing on four units: earning, spending, saving, and protecting. Attendees will walk away with hands-on activities and materials to use in classrooms, youth organizations or for youth-created projects bases on the FCCLA Financial Fitness national peer education program.
Effective Teaching through Storytelling
Presented by Summer Red – Financial Educator
Storytelling is one of the easiest and most effective ways to engage and educate your listeners and it is a skill that anyone can learn. This class will break down storytelling into easy to understand steps, and will give you the opportunity to create and share a story of your own.
Web Resources
BizWorld
BizWorld provides schools with hands-on programs, for use in grades 3 through 8, designed to add relevancy to academics, while improving the understanding of entrepreneurship and money management.
Center for Student Credit Card Education
A website with information about student debt and resources for teachers.
Eager for Extra Economics Info
The Minneapolis Federal Reserve is now offering a teaching resource for high school economics courses based on articles from the Bank’s publications. Selected articles are supplemented with annotation, suggested use, and a series of questions probing increased levels of understanding.
Federal Reserve Education
The Federal Reserve System is committed to economic and personal financial education. Here you can find links to instructional materials and tools that can increase your understanding of the Federal Reserve, economics and financial education.
Hands on Banking
Ready to learn about money and have fun? Resources for 4th graders through adult, English and Spanish!
Money Smart
Money Smart is a Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (FDIC) training program to help adults outside the financial mainstream enhance their money skills and create positive banking relationships. A version of the program for 12 to 20 year-olds is also available.
MyMoney
MyMoney.gov aggregates financial information from 21 federal agencies, departments and bureaus. Users will be able to find information on planning for the financial impact of major life events and money management tools. The site includes resources for teachers, service members, women, parents, youth, employers, and more. The site is available in Spanish.
National Endowment for Financial Education
NEFE is a non-profit foundation dedicated to helping individual Americans acquire the information and gain the skills necessary to take control of their financial lives.
Practical Money Skills
A web site designed to help educators, parents and students practice better money management for life.
View more on the Web Resources page.
Partner Projects
The following are partner projects we learned about through our partner projects page. Projects which discuss mini-grants received $500 mini-grants from MFEC.
Altana Federal Credit Union
The PBS show Biz Kid$ is used in Altana FCU’s financial education classes for middle-school students. Biz Kid$ teaches youth about money and business using the examples of young entrepreneurs. The show is broadcast for free; however, DVDs of past seasons cost $165 per season. Click here for the full story.
Browning Community Development Corporation
“Make It Financially Fun” will target middle- and high-school students in Browning, using games and tips to promote healthy spending habits. The project hopes to serve 85 students, and will also engage low-income residents through club meetings and community functions. Click here for the full story.
Community Action Partnership
CAP is in the early stages of developing a comprehensive education program for youth, including high-schoolers, to help guide them down the path to financial literacy. It is important that, by the time youth leave high school, they have adequate financial knowledge and are credit savvy. Click here for the full story.
Montana Credit Unions for Community Development
MCUCD supports the presence of consumer resource centers located at credit unions throughout Montana. Consumer resource centers are located in branch lobbies and provide credit union members with information to help them make sound financial decisions. The centers are located in 33 credit unions serving 42 counties in Montana. Click here for the full story.
Montana State Auditor’s Office
Laura McGee is the Financial Education Consultant for the State Auditor’s Office and an enrolled Blackfeet member. In her works, she facilitates financial education for Native students by connecting schools with programs which fit their needs, as well as leading classes and presentations. She assists schools on a case-by-case basis, providing them with the resources and instruction they request to address their particular needs. Click here for the full story.
Rocky Mountain Credit Union
Karleen Hanson of Rocky Mountain Credit Union has created a Jeopardy-style game to educate participants about the full range of financial products and services available at credit unions. The content and format have been developed and tested both in internal trainings and in one community session—where Hanson says it got a very positive response. However, Hanson would like to make the game more engaging by purchasing buzzers, signage and prizes. Mini-grant funds would have been used to purchase these materials, as well as pay for travel and other costs associated with the class. Click here for the full story.
Salish and Kootenai Housing Authority
SKHA will teach the “Small Steps to Health and Wealth” financial fitness class, targeting low-income tribal families on the Flathead Reservation. The project hopes to serve at least 30 families, who may then enroll in SKHA’s homeownership program. Click here for the full story.
Western Sustainability Exchange
Mini-grant funds will be used to purchase “Biz in a Boxx” for WSE’s Young Entrepreneur Stewardship (YES!) summer camp. YES! teaches children to manage their own businesses by allowing them to set up booths and sell goods at the Livingston farmers’ market. Click here for the full story.