Trade Fair

                For the trade fair activity, everyone had to bring in an item that they were willing to exchange for something else. In other words, we knew that we would not be taking the item we brought in back home. Most people brought it handmade items or items that had some meaning to it. I brought in a box of 6 red velvet cupcakes, not knowing that they would turn out to be the most demanded items on the table. At first, I planned on trading the cupcakes as a whole: the person whom I traded with would get all 6 of them. However, I soon realized that I had more power if I traded the cupcakes separately or in pairs.

                The first thing I did was trade 2 of my cupcakes for a piece of framed art made by one of my classmates. Then, I realized another classmate only wanted one cupcake. While I did not want or need the pencil case that she had brought to trade, I told her that if she was able to trade her item for some cookies that I would give her a cupcake for those cookies; I was dependent upon her to make this trade. She succeeded and I was then left with 3 cupcakes but I had gained 2 items rather quickly. I proceeded to trade another cupcake for a t-shirt, while I traded the last 2 for a Halloween scarecrow decoration. I left the trade fair with 4 items; more than that of my classmates. I realized that by having one of the most demanded items in the trade fair that my supply of other items went up in the end.

                This activity is a great way for teachers to showcase how people in the past traded goods and services. It is a fun, hands-on activity that uses real items to help students understand how people felt when they wanted something and did not get it or vice versa. The item that is up for trade must be valuable and meaningful to the person in order for it to be a “popular” item. Teachers could use this as an authentic experience in the classroom to give students a better understanding of how our economy works and to learn multiple economic concepts such as supply and demand and interdependence. Finally, students could reflect on the trade fair after it is over just as we did, explaining how it worked, what items were in most demand, and if they were satisfied with what they left with in the end.