Learning About Needs and Wants

Last week in social studies, the children learned about the differences between needs and wants.  As a class, we decided that our needs as humans include healthy food, water, shelter and clothes.  We then discussed the things that we want, but don't really need.  We had a wonderful discussion about how things like cars and computers make our lives a lot easier, but that if we needed to, we could live without them, making them wants.  Also, we discussed that while shelter or a house is a need, a huge, expensive house is a want.  This got the children thinking about other things.  They explained to me that you need a coat that keeps you warm, but not a fancy coat, as well as wanting candy, but needing fruits and vegetables.  After we learned about needs and wants, the children were given modeling clay to build a need and a want.  Here is what some of them came up with:

Noah - "I want a dog, but I am still healthy without one!"

Reigna - "Toys are wants, but I really want a yo-yo!"

An'Niyia - "We need coats to keep us warm."

Emmanuel - "A family that loves you is a need."