Snack Shop is one of the functional activities for students with MDVI (multiple disabilities and visual impairment) at the Northern School for the Blind, Thailand. This little shop is open to sell variety of snacks only 1 hour after the school finishes on Monday to Friday. Many teachers and students come to buy snacks from this shop after a busy day of work and study. The name of this shop is ร้านค้าชุมนุมสอร, which means the students' club shop for getting income during study. All students in classroom are owners.
Two volunteers who need to learn about money or would like to have own shop after they finish school are selected to be the sellers and manage this shop for a semester (4 months). They have the opportunity to learn and have responsibility for all processes of buying, selling, and money management. They go to buy big packs of snacks from the supermarket with teachers, keep snacks in locker, sell snacks, clean shop, calculate money, do account income-outcome and go to save money in saving bank. The profit from this shop is for all students in classroom to do their special activities such traveling, cooking, donation and saving in individual account in saving bank.
Students purchase large packages of snacks from the supermarket.
The name of the snack shop is "MDVI Cooperative". It is open every day from Monday through Friday for one hour after school.
A student opens up the snack shop to set up for the afternoon's business.
Setting up shop for business involves unlocking the storage area and placing all items on the counter.
Setting up the snack shop helps to develop skills, such as:
- left to right sequencing
- matching
- sorting
- counting
Refilling the baskets calls for matching and counting skills.
Selling snacks to a teacher encourages the students to practice social skills, communication, and money skills.
Students practice sorting coins, and identifying the value.
The students use a talking calculator to add up the price of many snacks.
A student places the items to be purchased in a bag and takes the money while making a transaction.
After calculating the change to be given, the student then gives the change to the customer. This reinforces social skills, communication, motor skills, money and math skills.
Closing up shop at the end of the day
The students count the money at the end of the day and calculate how much they made that day. This provides practice in addition and subtraction, as well as bookkeeping. They also learn basic business practices, such as "profit", and learn to keep enough money to make change, as well as to purchase new inventory to sell.
Students deposit the money from the snack shop in the bank, which gives them practice in the community.
