Having a job is how we earn money to pay for the things we need. Money is important but it’s not the only reason people work. This week we’re going out to the pizzeria, where we’ll learn how every job is connected to lots of other jobs — and how those connections keep our economy running. Plus, we’ll hear from a bunch of people with cool jobs that you probably didn’t even know existed, and we’ll ask a group of kids to tell us about the jobs of their dreams. Pizza, anyone?

Read the transcript here.

And now … tips for grown-ups listening to “Million Bazillion” with kids

Money Talks

Take a minute to recap the episode and review the key points. Here are some questions to get the kids going:

1. What are the toppings on Jed’s Lumberjack Special pizza?
2. Name some of the jobs you’d see at a pizzeria.
3. Jobs give us more than money. What are a few other things you get from a job?
4. If you had the coolest job in the world, what would you be doing?

(Scroll down or click here for the answers!)

Tip Jar

Like Pasquale, the mason, said: Whatever you do in life, you have to like it. If you’re good at it, that keeps you motivated to keep doing it.

Take the opportunity this week to extend Jed and Bridget’s conversation from the end of the episode. Kids get asked a lot what they want to be when they grow up, but it’s OK not to know. So start with a different question. Rather than trying to figure out what job they want, ask they what they’re passionate about. 

Gimme Five

We’re still looking for random kids to answer one not-so-random question: If you could invent a product that would make being a kid easier, what would it be?

Have the kids think it over, and send us a voice memo here. 

Money Talks answers

1. Pineapple, pine nuts, porcupine meat and little bits of pine needles.
2. Answers will vary but may include: cook, owner, cashier, server, delivery person, brick-oven builder, people from the office building next door, etc.
3. Answers will vary but may include: friends/other people, routine/structure to the day, satisfaction/value, etc.
4. Answers will vary.

(Click here to scroll back up to the questions!)