This is a yahoo list that I am on and thought you all would be interested in today's activity.

National Budget Simulation
http://www.budgetsim.org/nbs/

This site, originally a project of UC Berkeley's Center for Community
Economic Research, offers a unique game -- one that allows you to try
to balance the national budget. It gives the player the ability to
control about 357 billion dollars in yearly spending and the
opportunity to adjust tax expenditures and tax loopholes.

When you get to the site, you can play two versions of the game:

Short Version -- allot percentages of the budget funds to major
categories of spending.

Long Version -- same as the short version except it includes sub-
categories of spending that gets into the real nitty gritty of
budgeting funds.

Try the simulations without knowing the budgets first, and you may be
surprised how little revenue is gained by cutting certain programs.
It really tests whether your perception of where the money goes in
the budget matches the reality.

The categories of spending used in this simulation generally match the
categories used in the official budget of the United States. Some
slight changes were made for the game and these are explained in
detail at the website.

This game also accomplishes the task of letting the player see a real-
life, practical use of mathematics. This game is probably better
suited to at least junior high school age students and up. I know
lots of parents will want to test their hand at balancing the budget
as well. Good luck!

Diane Keith
for ClickSchooling
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