Overland Park Student Entrepreneurs Open Businesses on Market Day

Overland Park Student Entrepreneurs Open Businesses on Market Day
Shawnee Mission School District

Before the school year concluded, the Overland Park Elementary School multipurpose room was bustling with commerce.

Students created their own small businesses, selling wares they had created for “Market Day.” At cafeteria tables, converted into pop-up shops, students sold their own hand-made creations including jewelry, flowers, decorated classroom supplies, and other items.

The buyers and sellers used a classroom currency, created their own advertising campaigns, and worked toward persuading their peers to purchase product.  

Second-grader Perosha Yazdanparast completely sold out of the items she created for the sale. She created magic wands made of foam, fabric, sticks, and glitter.

“I feel great because I didn’t think we would sell all of them out,” she said.

The activity even had her considering a possible career.

“Now I think I might want to be a business owner,” she said.  “It would be more fun to have a business for a longer time.”

The entire activity was offered to students to help them more deeply understand what they were learning in a classroom economics unit, Lisa Marino, instructional coach said.

Students sell items at school market day.