Camping Budget Project – Grades 5–8 Math + Finance
- Grades
- Grades 5–8, Elementary, Middle School
- Pages
- 5
- File type
- Answer key
- Included
- Subject
- Life Studies, Home Economics, Money, Math, Multiplication and Division, Addition and Subtraction
- Topic
- math project, financial literacy
- Resource types
- Worksheets & Printables, Worksheets, Projects
- Answer key
- Included
About this resource
What's inside this resource
This camping math project puts students in charge of a summer trip for four campers: two nights, one campsite already booked at $50, and $240 to cover everything. Over four student pages and 19 numbered tasks, they make real spending choices and check the math as they go.
- Meal plan: pick option A or B for breakfast, lunch, dinner and a campfire treat, find the servings, then the cost, and compare the plan with the cheapest and priciest menus.
- Rent or buy: decide whether to rent or buy a tent, binoculars and a folding table, then fill in a table to find when buying the tent beats renting it.
- Pack the car: choose extras that fit in the trunk's six empty cubes, then total the trip, find the money left and the cost per camper.
- Rainy day surprise: add ponchos and a rain fly and see what that does to the budget.
A final page asks students to explain their best saving, adjust the plan for six campers, and work out a three-night version. The answer key walks through one complete sample plan ($200 total, $40 left), lists the model answers, and reminds you that many plans are correct. It suits grades 5 to 8 money math and financial literacy lessons. Students work on paper from the color or grayscale file.
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In the classroom
Teaching tips & learning objectives
Learning objectives
Multiply servings by price per serving to find the cost of each meal choice
Compare renting and buying costs and find the point where buying becomes cheaper
Add costs from several categories, subtract from a fixed budget and divide the total among campers
Teaching tips
Go over the granola bar example on page 1 so students see the servings-first, then-cost order before they fill in the meal table.
Point out that the Budget check pulls totals from items 5, 10 and 12, so students should finish those before moving on.
Since many plans are correct, check each student's costs against their own picks rather than the sample plan.
Skills covered
Multiplying with decimals: students multiply servings by per-serving prices such as $1.25 and $4.50 to cost each meal.
Comparing options: rent-or-buy tables and a break-even chart show when owning an item costs less than renting it.
Working within constraints: students choose extras that fit both the trunk space and the remaining budget.
Good to know
Questions teachers ask about this resource
Do students get to choose their own budget?
No. Every student plans for the same trip: four campers, two nights and $240. Because each student makes different meal, gear and packing choices, the totals and money left will vary.
Does the project use decimals?
Yes. Meal prices are per serving and include cents, such as $1.25 and $0.75, so students multiply and add money amounts with decimals.
What is the Rainy day surprise?
A twist card where rain arrives on night two. Students add four ponchos, plus a rain fly if they rented the tent, and find their new balance.
Is there an answer key?
Yes. The key shows one complete sample plan with every calculation and model answers for the reflection tasks, with a note that many different plans can be correct.
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Curriculum
Standards, concepts & topics
Standards
Standards
- 7.NS.A.3 — Solve real-world and mathematical problems involving the four operations with rational numbers
- 5.NBT.B.7 — Add, subtract, multiply, and divide decimals to hundredths, using concrete models or drawings and strategies based on place value, properties of operations, and/or the relationship between addition and subtraction; relate the strategy to a written method and explain the reasoning used.
Core concepts
Core concepts
Budgeting
Personal finance
Decimal operations
Unit cost
Real-world problem solving
Topics
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