ALPENA — Every Tuesday throughout the school year, students at Lincoln Elementary School get to participate in Kids Zone, a working community that teaches the students what it’s like to have a job.

The students work one week, then the next week they get to go shopping and spend their Kids Zone money. Some of the jobs are working at a construction zone, a movie theatre, an artistic room and many more.

Teacher Tonya Smigelski said the students get prepared for Kids Zone at the beginning of the school year by having to write a resume.

“They have to apply for the jobs,” Smigelski said. “We have a job fair down in the gym where they all have to go and be interviewed so they’re applying for a job just like the real world.”

When the students get hired, they train for a week to learn about their job, what their task is, and what they are required to do. Smigelski said after a few weeks, students will be sent out to shop or they stay at their venture and work.

The students also learn how to save money in the bank and learn about how the bank earns interest.

“It gives students experience on how the real world is going to work when they get older,” teacher Jon Bradley said. “They learn about working to earn a paycheck, how to budget for expenses and the students actually pay rent every month.”

Bradley said Kids Zone gives the students the opportunity to learn about responsibility.

At the end of the school year, the school hosts a work day where the students talk about how much the businesses did make or how much did the businesses lose. The students also make suggestions or think of new ideas to make Kids Zone better and think of other jobs that could be available for the students.

The school hosts a garage sale at the end of the school year where the students can buy real items to take home. Smigelski said the students save money in the bank throughout the year for the garage sale.

“The children then get a ticket, they don’t have money anymore because the money is done,” Smigelski said.

Smigelski said the students can take the ticket to the garage sale and buy the items they want to buy. She said there also are raffle items at the garage sale the students can put in a ticket to get.

“Those are bigger items,” Smigelski said. “The students can buy six tickets for $5 or $1 apiece and they just put their name in to win.”

The school’s Parent Advisory Council helps the school with buying items for the garage sale. The garage sale is supported by the PAC and the community also will donate items, Smigelski said.

Every student at Lincoln Elementary get the chance to participate in Kids Zone. Smigelski said the third-, fourth- and fifth-graders help the kindergartners learn about Kids Zone.

“They have a community helper and they take them around to help them and teach them how to spend the money, how to walk in the halls, and how to work,” she said. “Towards the end, like last week, that kindergarten teacher let them go on their own to prepare them for first grade next year.”

Two of the places for Kids Zone require real money: the lions lair and the school store. The lions lair is where students can get fruit, granola bars, and water. The school store has different school supplies.

Smigelski said her favorite part about Kids Zone is teaching students work ethic and value of how much money the students have saved.

“I don’t think some of them understand when they go shopping, if someone buys something for them, they don’t understand they will have leftover,” she said.

Fourth-grader Brooke Kubbe said her favorite part about Kids Zone is being around friends and being able to talk to them. She said it’s fun to earn money and be an adult.

“The garage sale is a lot of fun because it’s real stuff,” Kubbe said.

Bradley said the students look forward to Kids Zone every week.

“They love it,” he said.

“I think they love it and enjoy it,” Smigelski said. “It’s an adventure for them. Each year they’re required to take a different job so they’re learning different skills, but they still love it.”

Julie Goldberg can be reached via email at jgoldberg@thealpenanews.com or by phone at 358-5688.