An Oregon 4-H camp ran a week-long program in which 87 elementary age campers and 16 secondary age counselors operated businesses, dealt with customers, and promoted products. Pretests/posttests showed an average 8.7% increase in camper knowledge of money management skills, with 72% of campers showing improvement. Lists ideas for teaching money…

Describes the following types of electronic resources relevant for family and consumer sciences: online and CD-ROM databases, numeric datafiles, and Internet resources (listservs, telnet sources, gopher/World Wide Web). (SK)

Reiterating that students have become a potent market force, explains how teachers can introduce the concept of consumer law. Gives three examples of hypothetical situations in which contracts, warranties, and ethics are discussed. (GG)

The article describes a consumer skills unit taught to visually impaired seventh graders. The unit covered advertising language and psychology, comparison shopping and label language, and budgeting and future planning. (DB)

An itinerant teacher of multiply handicapped students with low vision shares learning activities in which students learn to use coins with the aid of a computer program and make a shopping list using advertising flyers. (DB)

Advertisers spend billions to market so-called educational products, services, and viewpoints to vulnerable young consumers. Budget constraints are forcing educators to accept ads and promotional materials. Several education and consumer-interest groups are developing guidelines for using commercial materials in schools. Consumers Union developed…

This article suggests the use of marketing techniques to disseminate information products to parents of young children with disabilities. A marketing plan might include the following steps: determination of market needs, market segmentation and target marketing, marketing goals and objectives, marketing strategy, marketing mix tactics, and control…

"Living on Your Own," a high school course in Ankeny (Iowa) Community Schools, uses a team teaching approach in which industrial and home economics educators teach (1) car selection, financing, and maintenance; (2) equipment maintenance and home repair; (3) selection of housing and furnishings, insurance, and financial services; and (4) use of…

Discusses the popularity of smoking in the twentieth-century United States and the government's attempts to educate the public to the health risks of tobacco. Examines the surgeon general's reports, the tobacco lobby's response, and the use of mass media advertising by both. Suggests that the United States needs to rethink the nature of behavioral…

Economic growth will come from knowledge-based businesses whose "smart" products filter and interpret information. Businesses will come to think of themselves as educators and their customers as learners. (SK)

Points out that purchasers of CD-ROM products do not acquire the same rights as they do when purchasing print products. Licensing terms and agreements of 12 CD-ROM producers are examined and the making of backup copies of support software, downloading, multiple use and other restrictions, and negotiating different licensing terms are discussed.…

Four consumer education strategies (control, audiovisual presentation, pamphlet, presentation and pamphlet) and 4 consumer information strategies were used with 448 Canadians choosing fire-resistant upholstery. The information treatments influenced importance of fire resistance as a product attribute, although the education treatment affected…

Gives data on the racial, ethnic, and gender composition of family and consumer sciences and extension faculty and students. Provides a content analysis of diversity in family and consumer sciences research. Makes recommendations for professional associations and higher education programs. (SK)

Examines the prevailing myth that children's well-being increases through consumerism. Addresses the scope of child-focused consumption, negative impact of child-oriented consumerism on child development, creation of an imagination-stifling environment; and the relationship between instant gratification and avoidance of challenges. Concludes that…

In the wake of growing concerns about a "globesity" epidemic, this article explores the panic surrounding sedentary lifestyles and fast food culture, which have underscored calls for the cultural regulation of children's marketing. Avoiding the tired debate between those who see children as either manipulated or savvy consumers, this article…