ECONOMICS & SCARCITY ACTIVITY: Making Paper Chains With Limited Resources

When teaching economics and the idea of scarcity, it can be hard to help students understand the concept while keeping them actively engaged. It is this very reason why I came up with the paper chain activity! I happened to be teaching on scarcity around the Christmas season, and I was trying to figure out a fun plan for the kids. As I was planning, I realized that my very own classroom was experiencing a scarcity in decorations! It was this personal scarcity that gave me the passion to create this resource. It has worked great every year since! Although I use this lesson for the Christmas season, you can certainly use this resource at any time of the year or for any upcoming holiday. Your kids can learn scarcity any day, and you can use decorations any time!

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Split your students into groups and each group will become a nation that only has one limited resource. For example: white paper nation, ruler nation, scissors nation, etc. ✂️ Each nation must create standard paper-chains as described in the given amount time. Students then race to create the longest, best-quality chain! Your class will definitely enjoy this activity on scarcity as they experience having unlimited wants with limited resources! Even better, you will get some paper chains as classroom decorations for Christmas. If it's not Christmas season, switch up the colors of paper and make this a decorating activity for any upcoming holiday! All necessary details and directions are included in the download! ☞ Glue, scissors, and rulers are not included. HA!

What’s Included:

- Detailed teacher directions for setup and instruction

- Discussion questions for post-activity reflection

- Helpful photos and examples to see how the activity works

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Thank You!

Thanks so much for stopping by! It's great to meet you! I hope this resource adds value to your classroom. If you have time, I'd love for you to leave a rating on this product with your awesome feedback, and make sure to follow Mister Harms for important updates and savings. I would also love to see how you've incorporated this product into your classroom. Feel free to post a photo of this resource in action and tag @misterharms so I can meet you! I hope you have a wonderful day!

What Teacher's Are Saying:

• “This was such a fun activity! My students begged for more lessons like this…FUN, FUN, FUN ACTIVITY” - Veronica ★★★★★
• “This was a perfect activity to introduce the concepts. My students were very engaged and excited to be in Econ class. They asked if we could do it again during a different holiday, they want try a different strategy.” - Kelly ★★★★★
• "This was the perfect activity to use with my students. Not only are they learning about scarcity, but they are learning how to collaborate and communicate effectively in order to complete the task! THANKS!” - Elaina ★★★★★

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