Flea Markets are one of Crestmont’s most original school-wide events and are incorporated into the school day three times a year. At each flea market, the entire student body – kindergartens through middle schoolers – set up booths on the play yard to sell handmade items. The event teaches students how commerce works, from exploring the costs of making items compared to expected profits, to figuring out what their fellow students might be interested in. The offerings are diverse and creative, ranging from simple (cookies) to elaborate (original hand-bound storybooks). They have included handmade sculptures, tie-dyed socks, homemade rosewater, surprise eggs, snow globes, hot chocolate, jello creations, homemade burritos, and even a pie-in-the-face center, to name but a few. At the end of the market, each class counts the dollars (and nickels and quarters) it made, and then votes on a charity or community activity it will donate the money to. These are often causes that are related to their curriculum, including the Marine Mammal Center, Coalition of Immokalee Workers (C.I.W.) to support their fight for farmworker justice, Urban Tilth, and Christmas in Richmond.