I don’t know why I have a lot of friends with young children but I do! And anyone who knows me knows how much I love kids and am a huge advocate for the rights of children everywhere. Especially the most basic right to be loved and cared for.
So when I heard about this adorable new app Star Jungle, for kids and their parents, coming to market I was intrigued. Though at first I thought, oh great yet another way to reward kids for just doing what is right.
I will admit, I got allowance for a while as a kid, only when my parents could afford it – 50 cents, and later a whole dollar a week. And I worked HARD for that money. I was the oldest girl in a family of 11 and had a lot of responsibility from a very young age. I also received a dollar for every “A” I got on my report card, from my grandfather.
Since I’m pretty sure my kids don’t read my blog, I feel safe revealing the above. (Just kidding of course.) I don’t think I’ve ever told my kids I got allowance for doing chores or money for grades. My son might be surprised especially since a number of times when he was in school, probably every time grades came out, he mentioned how his friends couldn’t believe he didn’t get anything for his perfect report cards. (For some reason, my daughter never mentioned this. Maybe she would have if grades were rewarded with food. lol)
I just didn’t believe in allowance and paying my kids for cleaning up after themselves. And I especially didn’t believe in monetary rewards for doing what was expected of them in school – showing up on time, ready to learn, and especially, ALWAYS respecting their teachers. And one of the creators of Star Jungle, Marc Bielas, says the experts agree. He says every parenting expert they’ve reached out to recommends completely divorcing chores and good grades from allowance. In contrast with the experts Star Jungle’s research shows 71% of American parents approach chores transactionally.
Fast forward to present day 2016 and Star Jungle and looking back 20+ years ago, I think if this great app was available back then 
I may have been tempted to partake in what creators describe as “a platform that allows parents and children to manage allowance, chores, and rewards in a fun, modern, and educational way”.
Mr. Bielas, of Yale University, says Star Jungle “makes it easy for parents to teach their kids financial literacy. The online platform integrates chores and allowances with virtual credits, allowing kids to claim rewards through a curated eCommerce site”.
See for yourself at the link below or go directly to trystarjungle.com. Show it to your kids, grandkids, nieces and nephews, and friends. And if you have any suggestions for ways to improve Star Jungle, the creators would love your feedback. You can contact Marc Bielas directly at: marc.bielas@yale.edu.
http://trystarjungle.com/join/
