Many families share a little, so one family with a big worry is helped.
The big ideaMany families put in a small coin, so one family with a big worry gets help.
How it works
Pinewick is a made-up village of six families. A worry is something that might go wrong one day, like a storm that cracks a roof.
A roof costs a lot to mend, and one family alone would find that hard. So each family puts one coin in a pot.
Six small coins add up. When Tam's roof cracks, the pot pays the roof mender, so nobody pays a big cost alone.
If no roof cracks, the coins wait in the pot. This sharing plan has a name: insurance.
Fixing the roof alone is six coins. One family's share is one coin.
🏠six families🪙one coin each🏺the pot waits⛈️a storm comes🛠️the pot pays
What happens to the pot.
Example 1: Filling the pot
Six families each put in 1 coin.
1 + 1 + 1 + 1 + 1 + 1 = 6 coins.
The pot holds 6 coins, the same as the roof costs.
Example 2: Tam alone
Tam has 2 coins, and the roof costs 6 coins.
6 − 2 = 4, so Tam is 4 coins short.
But the pot holds 6 coins, enough to pay the mender.
Example 3: A bigger village
Ten families each put in 1 coin, so the pot holds 10 coins.
The roof costs 6 coins, and 10 − 6 = 4.
Four coins stay in the pot, ready for the next worry.
Example 4: What the pot is for
A cracked roof or a fence blown over is a big cost, and the pot helps.
A new toy or a bag of sweets is a treat, and a family pays for it.
The pot is for big costs, not for wants.
Words to know
worry
Something that might go wrong one day, like a storm.
pot
Where the families' shared coins wait.
big cost
Something too much for one family alone.
insurance
Many share a little, so nobody pays a big cost alone.
Watch out
Each family puts in only one coin, not six. Six is the cost of the roof and the total in the pot.
If nobody needs the pot, the coins do not vanish. They wait for the next worry, and that is okay.
The pot is for big costs, not for toys and treats.
Try it
Eight families each put in one coin. How many coins are in the pot?
A roof costs 6 coins and Tam has 2. How many more coins does Tam need?
Does a bag of sweets get paid from the village pot?
No roof cracks this month. What happens to the coins in the pot?
Answers: 1. 8 coins · 2. 4 coins · 3. No · 4. They wait for next time
Try at homeAsk a grown-up to tell you about a time something at home was fixed, and who helped to pay or to do the work.
For grown-upsAsk your child to tell the Pinewick story back to you. You might talk about a time something at home was fixed, and who helped to pay or to do the work.
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