Green$treets: Unleash The Loot! is an innovative game for children to learn money management and financial responsibility in a game setting. It is FREE.
In the game, kids are on a mission to save animals that are close to being extinct. For each endangered animal, kids must initially design a budget that is enough to sustain the animal’s lifestyle in natural habitat, such as animal’s food, shelter, and toys. They also need take care of the animal by feeding and playing with him. Once all these are accounted for, they can release the endangered animal into its natural habitat.
Kids can earn money by playing mini games laced throughout the story line. However, they must learn how to save their money in order to achieve the goal of rescuing the endangered animals. They have to decide how much of their money is donated to charities, and how much goes to savings.
Throughout the game, kids will see a cast of youthful characters known as the Green$treet Kids. Each character presents a specific tendency towards financial responsibility.
Shmootz: has a tendency to create problems for the residents of the fictitious town that this game is set in, and 
represents the concept that in everyday life, there are problems that need be solved.
Penny Bright: a cat-like character who presents herself in a forward and confident manner. She is smart, well dressed, and knows what she is doing when it comes to technology and financial management. She provides insight on investment and its impact on society.
Small Change: a rabbit who skates his way around on practically anything with wheels. He is a light hearted and fun loving character who doesn’t pay much thought to his money spending habits. He has a tendency to spend all he has on trivial things that probably are not the best investment choices.
Opportunity: hides in a box for the entire game, as opportunity is usually hard to see and changes with circumstances. When Opportunity shows up in the game, kids will learn how to balance risks and benefits when making investments.
The app has a useful feature that connects children to teachers or parents through direct email within the app during the child’s game play. This gives parents and teachers good opportunity offering advice and suggestions on kids investment choices.
Overall, Green$treets: Unleash the Loot! is a fantastic game to teach the sometimes foreign concept of money to kids. Not only do kids get a head start in learning how to write budgets and manage an income, they also get a taste of how their money can affect others for better or for worse. It is a useful app providing kids with a better understanding of money and its implications on society.
Green$treets: Unleash the Loot is designed for kids age 5 to 8, but I feel kids as old as 10 or 12 can also benefit from the game. It works on iPhone, iPod and iPAD. It is FREE on App Store.
If you would like to check it out or purchase it, please use the App Store link provided below. The cost is the same to you, but iGameMom gets a small percentage. Thanks for your support! Note: The link works for all countries.
