Movie Review: Money & Making Change

Movie Title: Rock'N Learn: Money & Making Change

Length: 58 Minutes

Recommended Age: 6 & Up

Movie Description From the Back of the Box:

Penny and Bill know how to shake things up when it comes to counting money and making change. Cool songs and games give you plenty of practice with real-world skills. You will learn about coins and how they relate to one another, strategies for counting coins and cash, "skip counting," expressing money in written terms, strategies for making change, and more. You'll have fun as you learn valuable new skills you can bank on!

Characters:

Penny, as her name implies, is a person shaped like a penny. She has a pretty bow in her hair and likes to sing her heart out.

Bill is her friend. He, of course, is shaped like a dollar bill. He sports an electric guitar.

What the kids think: Kira really enjoys this movie. She likes the skip counting and the section where the characters are "shopping" and counting out their money to "pay" for their items. She did say she wouldn't want to watch this movie over and over. Marisa is a bit too young for me to get her opinion on this movie.

What the mom thinks: I like the skip counting section. I really like the skip counting section. The shopping section seems a bit technical for my girls, so I probably won't rent this movie again for a while. The shopping section does address the issue of not having enough money to buy the things you want and the fact that you can't get it if there isn't enough money. Did I mention that I like the skip counting? This movie gives a real good introductory exposure to skip counting and why it's an important skill to learn.

All in all, this is a really good introduction to money and what money is used for. It isn't as interesting or catchy as I would have hoped it would be for kids. The voices are good, though. The movie can play while I work, and I'm not grinding my teeth from the sound of annoying voices. This is a good thing.

At the end of the shopping section, the characters also address the reality of taxes. That's a good thing, too, because children always seem to forget about that one particular reality.

Final Say: This is a pretty good movie for the educational concepts of money. I do recommend the movie, but be aware that this is more technical than fun. Your child's level of interest will depend on her personality.