Biz Kid$

You can bet on business and finance being interesting for teens

Learning rating

Community rating

Based on 7 reviews

Privacy rating

Expert evaluation by Common Sense

Grades

6–12

Subjects & Skills

Character & SEL, College & Career Prep, Math, Social Studies

Price: Free
Platforms: Web

Pros: The video clips are highly entertaining and perfect for teaching money sense and exploring business concepts.

Cons: Video episodes can seem cheesy, and most linked websites and activities are more appropriate for middle grades.

Bottom Line: Biz Kid$ is a great introduction to financial literacy, with linked activities as well as frequently updated interactive video clips and a blog.

The Teachers section includes lesson plans and activities that connect the Biz Kid$ content to your classroom and curriculum. You can design a unit using the video episodes, which are downloadable from the site, or you can buy DVDs.

At its core, Biz Kid$ is an online TV channel that provides short, engaging video segments that teach business and financial concepts using pop-culture references. It's a fun and effective way to reach middle and high school-age students. The episodes are well-made and humorous, with no inappropriate references or language.

You'll find six sections along the top of each screen. The first section contains an archive of the short video episodes, with the newest episode featured on top. Each episode has a brief synopsis. The second section contains the Biz Kid$ blog, with entries for parents alternating with entries for kids. It offers useful resources and tackles current events in the business and financial worlds. Topics are divided so you can quickly find what interests you: Money Facts, Business Plans, Fundraisers, Parent Tips, and more. Entries link to related resources, too. For example, a Careers entry links to a sample resume for a high school student and lists the most commonly asked interview questions.

The Students section has plenty of resources, and the Biz Kid$ blog is a great source of news that seems to be written for both kids and adults. Best of all, the site is updated frequently, and between blog updates and new video episodes, kids can go back to the site again and again.

Navigating the site is pretty straightforward. The third section has all previous editions of the now defunct Vault Newsletter, which spotlighted a young entrepreneur in each issue and had some useful content. The next section highlights several handpicked and interactive games from around the Web, which do a great job of teaching important skills. For example, the "Dollar a Glass" game teaches supply and demand in a fun, competitive way. A student section offers savings plan calculators, investment tips, and budget worksheets.

Learning Rating

Overall Rating
Engagement

Pop-culture parodies get teens into business and finance. The short video episodes with young actors are engaging.

 

Pedagogy

The real-world knowledge in the lessons is presented in an accessible way that should stick with teens.

 

Support

Except for the blog, which gets updated, the site itself is mostly static reading. Still, you get lesson plans and activities.

 

Common Sense reviewer

Community Rating

Intro to Finance

What I liked about the website is that is it extremely user friendly and it appeals to a wide range of learners. The different sections within the site teach students about young entrepreneurs, financial and business concepts, sample high school resumes are available with possible interview questions, as well games that demonstrate supply and demand. The site also offers learners the opportunity to budget and investment plans.

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Privacy Rating

Data Safety How safe is this product?

  • Unclear whether this product supports interactions between trusted users.
  • Unclear whether personal information can be displayed publicly.
  • Unclear whether user-created content is filtered for personal information before being made publicly visible.

Data Rights What rights do I have to the data?

  • Unclear whether users can create or upload content.
  • Unclear whether this product provides processes to access and review user data.
  • Unclear whether this product provides processes to modify data for authorized users.

Ads & Tracking Are there advertisements or tracking?

  • Personal information is not shared for third-party marketing.
  • Traditional or contextual advertisements are displayed.
  • Unclear whether this product displays personalised advertising.

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