Pushcarts Bring Lessons In Education And Charity

By Tanjua Damon

There were not any blue light specials, but there were great deals. It was not K-Mart, but the cafeteria at Sandy Hook School was similar to the crowds at the discount store.

Sandy Hook fifth graders designed their own pushcart businesses to sell items to their schoolmates for Mothers’ Day, but the profit they made goes to charity. The students were selling handmade crafts, candy, bead jewelry, hair gadgets, and baked goods.

The students designed the umbrella-topped pushcarts that were lined up in rows, providing a backdrop for the chatter of shoppers and sellers that filled the room May 11.

Pushcart Day is a special day at Sandy Hook. The prices are affordable and the products are thought out and designed well. The program also provides educational lessons at each step of the project.

Fifth grade students read the book The Pushcart Wars by Jean Merrill, which is about the disputes that truck drivers had with pushcart owners in New York City at the turn of the century.

The idea is to have students form a business so they can understand various lessons in math with profits and losses, making merchandise, – what sells, what does not –  plus the students learn about community service because the money they raise goes to charity.

“I like it because we get to learn how to make a profit,” Chuck Brooks said.

Fun was another factor of why students enjoyed the pushcart project.

“It was really fun doing it,” Hunter Reiner said. “It was really cool, but kind of expensive at the moment.”

Many of the students found out pretty quickly that owning a business is hard work and challenging, especially when it comes to making the products.

“Working together [was challenging]. Making the stress balls was hard,” Stewart Tabler said. “It’s a chance for people to buy stuff and have fun.”

 Students were not the only ones buying things. Parents, teachers, and administrators found many bargains they could not resist. Anita Pettengill’s arms were full of things she bought.

“To see all the creativity that the children bring to the school,” Ms Pettengill said. “And it’s fun. Absolutely great deals. Lots of homemade things at reasonable prices.”

Watching the crowds of students come to see what the carts are selling is one thing that interests Lisa Isabella. But waiting for customers is not the best part of being a business owner.

“It’s very entertaining to see how many kids are coming and they want to see how much things are,” she said. “You have to stand here and wait. Most of the time kids don’t come. When they do come it’s hard to deal with everybody.”

Several of the students liked being able to sell their products to their peers.

“I think it’s entertaining for the little kids,” Nicole Reyen said. “I like to have customers come up to me, but it’s a little bit too crowded.”

Many of the pushcarts had unique names like The Shop Around the Corner, Beaches, Vacations & More, Krafty Kids, and Everything & Anything.

“I think it’s great. I think it’s a lot of fun,” parent Marian Koscomb said. “I think it teaches the kids a lot. Everyone’s cart is different.”

Libby Maret feels the pushcart project will help her in the future.

“It’s actually a good experience for making money for when you are older,” Libby said. “It also helps with your negotiation and business concepts.”

The Pushcart Day raised $2,400; the students will decide what charities they would like to donate to.