We are Luke and Bobby and we're 5th graders at Helen Morgan School in Sparta, NJ. We were so excited to embark on the TREP$ journey and immediately began brainstorming different ideas to create and sell. After searching through many ideas, we found a great idea online and decided to make Lego soaps in different colors and scents! We figured everyone uses soap and it is a FUN way to get clean! As we researched the materials needed, we also took time to come up with a catchy name for our product - Luke and Bob's LEGO SOAP LAND!

The night of the TREP$ Market place at school was exciting. We were very pumped up. However, a lot of planning went into the creation of our product. Before the big night of selling we had to stay after school for workshops. We learned how to make a budget and a profit. We also worked on creating a poster, which would help us promote the name of our business. Our teacher mentors also helped us understand how to be professionals when dealing with the people who we do not know when trying to sell our product the night of the marketplace.  

When the big evening rolled around we quickly set up our store. Our principal had an opening ceremony and then cut the ribbon to start the shopping fun. We had a lot of customers come shop and buy our soaps. It was hard work trying to sell our product. By the end of the night we had $152.00 in our hands. That was a profit of $72.00.   We were surprised and thrilled with only have 6 bags of soap left.

TREP$ was the best day ever. We are so glad that we had the chance to participate in the TREP$ program at our school. We hope we have the chance to do it again someday.

My name is Amanda and I am a 4th grader at John F Kennedy Elementary School in Wayne NJ. I have attended the TREP$ Marketplace at my school since Kindergarten and I was very excited it was finally my turn to join the entrepreneurs club at my school this year. Recently having added a new puppy to our family I wanted to create a product for the TREP$ Marketplace, that could help raise money for the local Animal Shelter in our town. I thought about what product people would like and brainstormed with my family a few ideas, through the process of brainstorming I came up with a concept that was not a typical product but an actually an Pet Rock Adoption Service. The way the Adoption service would work is that people would come up to the table and then I would explain to them how the rocks need good homes and how fun adopting one can be for their family. They are allergen free pets, that don't eat or poop and make great family pets. The money raised from adoption fees would would directly go to help the local Animal Shelter.

I went outside and found about 100 rocks in my neighborhood, I brought them inside washed them off and dried them. Since I am very creative I asked my mom to buy me some googly eyes online, when they got in I hot glued them on and added some accessories like hair, mustaches etc. I made them all different so each one would be very unique. 

I made some signs for my Business "Amanda's Pet Rock Adoptions" and printed out the Adoption Certificates I would attach and also made paper bags with holes in them so the pets could breath. The day of the TREP$ Marketplace I set up my table and people started to come by and look at all the pet rocks, people walking around the market asked me about the pets and I told them about them and about the pricing small $1, medium $2, Large $3. Lots of people adopted them even the Mayor of Wayne stopped by and adopted one!! Some people told me how they loved the idea and even put money into the donation jar I had at the table. The most exciting part was when the Marketplace first opened and to see the positive reaction the people had to my business. Thanks to  TREP$, I was able to raise $202.00 for the Wayne Animal Shelter and they made me an Honorary Member of the County SPCA " Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals" for my dedication to helping out. It was so much fun to turn something I just made into a pet people would love to have in their home while helping out a great cause. GO TREP$!!!