As you dip your pita bread in hummus, did it ever occur to you that someone had to climb a 100-foot-tall tree to make that happen?

It would be pretty reasonable to assume that most jobs that involve harvesting use machines to make workers' lives easier. But that's not the case for pine nuts--a sought-after seed used in popular foods like pesto and hummus. An insurance underwriter's nightmare, these seeds are collected almost entirely by hand...only after they're knocked down from trees at enormous heights. What does this mean for prices we pay for products that use them? Discuss this with your students in NGPF's activity series based on Business Insider's web series: So Expensive and other videos. 

Students will watch a video about a specific product or service, identify the specific factors of production that impact its price, and dig deeper by answering a few thought-provoking questions.

So Expensive: Pine Nuts

• So Expensive - Pine Nuts (Nearpod)
• So Expensive - Pine Nuts (No-Tech)

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View answers to frequently asked questions about how to implement the So Expensive series activities with your students.

 
We hope this activity will help you provide your students with engaging topics to help sharpen personal finance and economics skills.

Have questions or comments? Reach out to ryan@ngpf.org

Looking for more ways to introduce economics into your personal finance classroom? Check out NGPF’s Econ Collection!

About the Author

Ryan Wood

Ryan is the Partnerships and Adoption Manager for Next Gen Personal Finance’s midwest region. He brings his experience as a former teacher, curriculum designer, and sales and marketing professional to state organizations and school districts in supporting the implementation of their personal financial education efforts. He graduated from the University of Wisconsin-Green Bay and earned his teaching credential from Saint Mary’s University in Winona, Minnesota. He proudly taught at two rural high schools in Wisconsin before transitioning to curriculum design at NGPF, and is now excited to be on the front lines in delivering the best possible financial education in the midwest. He and his wife have three beautiful daughters, each of which inspire him to share the impact of being sound financial stewards both at home and as lifelong learners.