More Economics props - my class pets!

I have three class pets that I keep in a cage / filing cabinet and often get them out to illustrate economic concepts.

- the penguin is my favourite (and my students love to dress him up). Purchased very cheaply at a dollar store, he has a weighted bottom so if you knock him down, he will just bounce back up! Perfect when talking about whether an economy will auto self-correct over time or whether a Keynesian stimulus is needed. If I let some air out of him then he takes longer to bounce back and if I let enough air out then he won’t bounce back at all.

- the snake is a great example when talking about public goods. As New Zealand is snake free (and we want to keep it that way), a lot of effort is put into bio-security at the border and this security is definitely non-excludable by price and non-rival.

- my little lizard friend (again bought very cheaply at a dollar store) has remarkable stretchable properties and therefore I bring him out when talking about elasticity (and tell my students it is amazing that he manages to avoid getting eaten by the snake…)

Looking forward to hearing about more!