"Enterprising Youngsters Design and Market Card Game," Press Release, November 14, 2003.

A card match from the "Wizards & Spells" Game designed by the Wiz Kidz, the entrepreneurs at South Miami Elementary school.

South Miami: As they brainstormed product ideas, 4th and 5th grade students enrolled in the KidVentures youth entrepreneurship program at South Miami Elementary School knew they wanted to come up with something completely unique. After conducting a market research survey, they decided to develop an original card game. Titled “Wizards & Spells,” the lavishly illustrated game has a magical theme and allows players to match a riddle card to a corresponding spell card. Players know they have made a match, when they have solved the riddle. The game is attractively boxed with a transparent lid to display the cards, and comes with a complete set of instructions.

The students named their business “Wiz Kids,” in keeping with the magical theme. According to Darializa Avila, one of the young entrepreneurs: “We thought people would be interested in wizards and magic because Harry Potter is so popular.” They have been responsible for developing all aspects of their game. First creating the game concept, they then drew the illustrations for the cards.

The Wiz Kids also analyzed their competition, and came up with a fair price for their game. “We compared prices at the Dollar Store and other stores,” shared Shanon Greenman. “We wanted to make sure the cards were affordable for everyone, so we priced the game at only $3.50” They also designed posters, fliers and other ways of marketing their product.

Laurie Russell, the teacher in charge of the project, is enthusiastic: “I have enjoyed watching these kids assume ownership over their business. They have learned from one another and started acting as a team. They are really behaving like young businessmen and businesswomen – at times, students have even arrived to class bringing briefcases and business portfolios! They are totally committed, all of them are showing up although the program takes place after school. The program allows kids to express their different strengths…leadership, creativity, mathematical ability.”

Wiz Kids will be presenting and selling their game to the public at the first annual KidVentures Business Expo, which will take place at the South Florida Educational Credit Union, 1450 NE 2d Avenue, on Friday, November 14 from 11AM-1PM. They will be joined by two other student-run businesses from Ludlam Elementary School involved in the KidVentures program, Kidco and Mug-O-Rama, who will be marketing their own lines of greeting cards and coffee mugs. All three groups will be donating profits to a nonprofit organization of their choice. The Business Expo has been sponsored jointly by the Miami-Dade Public Schools Department of School-to-Career Initiatives and the South Florida Educational Credit Union. KidVentures programs in South Miami are supported by the Ethel and W. George Kennedy Family Foundation. For more information about KidVentures and the Business Expo, please call 305-665-1141.