  
    WHY 
 PRIZES?

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How prizes & reading go together.

At Traveling Stories, we treat children as customers, not beneficiaries. Our program’s Book Buck economy motivates children to read more often and teaches children how to save and spend responsibly.

Six year old Scott* stared down at a hole in his shoe. “It would be cool if I could use my Book Bucks to buy new shoes,” he said. A few weeks later, he used the Book Bucks he had saved to buy a shoe store gift card from the Traveling Stories prize store. The next week he proudly showing off his new pair of shoes.
A traditional nonprofit approach to a need like this would have been to source shoes and then donate them directly to Scott. But at Traveling Stories, we strive to do things differently.
*Name changed for privacy purposes
At the Virtual StoryTent, children earn Book Bucks for every book they read. If a book is extra challenging they can negotiate for more Bucks. A child can earn up to $40 Book Bucks each week! The program is 9-weeks long, so the max a child can earn per program period is $360 Book Bucks.
Children then use their Book Bucks to buy prizes. When a child logs into their StoryTent account, they can shop our online prize store. The store features 12 categories of prizes. These categories change based on demand and inventory.
Some of our most popular prize categories include:
The Book Buck economy teaches children how to save and spend responsibly. The prizes motivate readers to read more often.
1. Tablet ($350 Book Bucks)
2. Slime Kits ($90 Book Bucks)
3. Journals ($40 Book Bucks)
4. Pokemon Cards ($35 Book Bucks)
5. LEGOs ($100 Book Bucks)
6. LOL OMG Dolls/Rainbow High Dolls ($200 Book Bucks)
7. Surprise Toys ($10 Book Bucks)
The Book Buck economy teaches children how to save and spend responsibly. The prizes motivate readers to read more often.