Paperclip Activity

Background: In 2005, Kyle MacDonald, 27, traded a red paperclip for a fish-shaped pen. He kept trading for something better and 14 trades later, traded with the Town of Kipling, Saskatchewan, for a house. In his TED video, he shares the story behind his idea and describes some of his most memorable experiences: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8s3bdVxuFBs.

Purpose: This assignment is designed to give you an opportunity to experience the life of a trader. You will have to trade carefully to obtain possessions that will be useful to you. Trades are about relative value.

Assignment: For this assignment, you will spend the next week making at least 7 trades. You will document each trade you make in a trading journal. The journal must be completed in detail, with every aspect of the trade (who, where, when, why) recorded and explained. At the end of this assignment, you will make a 2-minute presentation on your trading experience, showing us your final possession.

Requirements:

• Must make 7 trades with 7 different people.
• Must document each trade in trading journal.
• Each journal entry must include the following information: trade number, date and time, location of trade, person(s) you traded with, why you traded with this person(s), item traded, new item received, reason you traded for new item, illustration of item.
• 2-minute presentation on your trading experience, showing us your final possession.

Rules of Trading:

• You can only trade with a person once.
• You must trade for items that you genuinely like/want/need (i.e. you must be able to explain why you made this trade).
• The items you trade and receive must be appropriate (i.e. nothing illegal, dangerous, flammable, poisonous, inappropriate).
• When trading, be SAFE at all times: trade with people you know (e.g. classmates, family, friends, etc.). Do NOT trade with strangers.