Setting up Shop at Lander-Grinspoon Academy

Molly Feinstein, right, talks with Adeena Bromberg Seltzer, a fifth grader at the Lander-Grinspoon Academy in Northampton during a recent visit to the school.

Feinstein, co-owner of the Go Berry yogurt shop in downtown Northampton, visited a combined fifth and sixth grade math class where students are learning math by setting up simulated “shops” to sell a product or service. The idea is to give the students practical, hands-on experience to help them learn about percentages, interest, sales taxes, discounts, payroll, rent, bank loans and other math-related business issues.

Feinstein, who owns Go Berry with her husband, Alex, used a pie chart to describe business expenses. She talked about what it took to start the shop — and listened to students’ suggestions for yogurt flavors.