http://www.dailymail.co.u...runch.html

For months now, the recession has been dominating the headlines.

But with even the most informed economists struggling to understand what's happening, what do the nation's children make of it all?

For a bit of light-hearted relief, we talked to a selection of primary school pupils. This is what they said.

WHAT'S TOXIC DEBT AND HOW DO YOU DEAL WITH IT?

I would deal with toxic debt by getting my dad's gun and shooting it. He shot a rat that was eating the white bit on my gym shoes. BILLY, six

GET a cleaner. BEN, eight

Toxic debt is a kind of place where you go and work. Like a factory where they make things. KIERAN, six

I had some sweets called Toxics so I guess it is something like that. You put them in your mouth and they all fizz up. They could well have been poisonous. KAI, six

I've heard of the word toxic before, but not debt. I think it's like a fish tank. JOSHUA, six

TOXIC debt might be a nasty creature like a spider. It doesn't sound nice. ADAM, five

If there was a problem with toxic debt you should run away from it as fast as you can. I'd drive a motorcycle and then jump over a car and land on the pavement and then start running. DECLAN, six

Maybe you find it in the forest. It's a place where it's really good for growing hedges. ADAM, five

WHAT IS THE CREDIT CRUNCH?

It's a cereal, a bit like Rice Krispies. JOE, six

It's a type of nut. SAM, six

The credit crunch is when you eat lots of food. It's a good thing, because I'm always hungry. My dad says don't waste your credit - which is your eating system. You need to feed yourself healthily - it's about crunchy food. Not too much, but not too little. SOLOMON, six

It's to do with money. If I want to buy a roast chicken it would have cost £6.99 last time, and now it might be £9.99. KAI, six
Joshua, six

Joshua, six: The credit crunch is when you put your card in a machine and it goes crunch

The credit crunch is when you put your card into a machine to pay for something and it goes 'crunch'. JOSEPH, six

I think the credit crunch might be a sound, maybe something smashing on the floor and making a crack. It's definitely loud. Or maybe it's a place. I heard people say: 'Can we go to the credit crunch?' It's where you go to find circles and rectangles and stars. TIA, seven

The credit crunch is if you don't have much money. Last year my dad said Father Christmas didn't have much money to buy presents. KIERAN, six

I think the credit crunch might be a superhero who has super-crunching powers. If someone gets trapped in a building, then he could break them free by chomping down the walls. MILLIE, six

It sounds like a nasty villain or a nasty dog. KATIE, seven

The credit crunch sounds like something you can eat that makes lots of noise. Like really crunchy carrots or apples. JOSHUA, six

It's definitely a bad thing, because you can lose your money and everything. I've heard grown-ups say they don't like it at all. MILLIE-MAY, seven

It's something you do in maths. If you get a number wrong, it's a credit crunch because you get the wrong answer. ADAM, five

I heard my mummy and daddy talk about it. It's got to do with hiding all your money and keeping it safe so no one can steal it. LIBBY, six

WHERE'S THE BEST PLACE TO KEEP YOUR MONEY?

I wouldn't put my money in a bank. I'd put it under my bed. But my little sister looks under there when I'm at school and there are always things missing. Then I look under her bed and find them there. MILLIE, six

Banks are a good place to put your money, but you could put it in your wardrobe in your bedroom. If you left it downstairs near a window then a robber might see it and crash through the window and take it. KAI, six

Keep it in your Lego box. HARRY, four


You should put your money in a bank and when you are older you can buy a tractor. Or a lorry. BAILEY, six

You shouldn't keep your money in a bank because someone could break in and steal it, like in the movies. KATIE, seven

The best place to keep money safe is behind my snowman. TOM, four

I keep my money in my grandmother's piggy bank. I have got thousands and thousands of pennies. Probably 1,002. BILLY, six

I think it is much safer to keep your money in your house because bank robbers don't often rob houses because there are dogs and cats there. HENRY, seven

... but I haven't got any cats and dogs EVA, seven

What about a goldfish? HENRY

I've got hamsters. EVA

They would bite the robbers' fingers off. HENRY

DO YOU KNOW WHAT A BANKER IS?

A banker is someone who cooks bread - like for sandwiches. Bankers make all the bread at the bankery. I've seen it on telly. ADAM, five
Millie-May, seven

Millie-May, seven: I think you might find a hedge fund in a shop


Bankers are bad people, because they could steal your money. So don't trust a banker. I heard people on TV say they think that. They were grown-ups in suits. It's best to hide your money away - I keep mine in a glass bottle on my shelf. I even hide it from my parents. TIA, seven

I think bankers are baddies because baddies are people who try to steal money. If you work in a bank there is a lot of chance to steal money. In the bank near us there are only two people who work there. Sometimes there is only one. So it would be easy. HENRY, seven

Bankers are people who work in banks. My dad sometimes waits a quarter or half an hour to get served. He gets fed up. EVA, seven

A banker is a person who gives you money from the bank. That's where you keep your money, too, because it's safe. CHLOE, seven

They give people money when they need it. I think it's better to keep your money in a container, though, because if it's in a bank you can get overdrawn and the credit crunch comes and takes all your money. That's what my Auntie said. MILLIE-MAY, seven

A banker is someone who owns a bank. He's a good person because he doesn't steal stuff. SOLOMON, six

WHAT'S A HEDGE FUND?

IT'S where a hedgehog lives. MAY, six

A hedge fund is a money-hedge and we have one at the bottom of our garden. SAM, six

I'VE seen a hedge fund before. They have one at the hospital, outside the main door. KIERAN, six

I think you might find a hedge fund in a shop. It's definitely a better thing than a credit crunch. MILLIE-MAY, seven

HAVE YOU HEARD OF A MAN CALLED GORDON BROWN? WHAT DOES HE DO?

He's a celebrity chef. FINN, seven

God. He kills baddies. ROWAN, four

Maybe he likes brown sauce. That must be how he got his name. He eats everything with lots of brown sauce. KATIE, seven

Gordon Brown runs the world. HENRY, seven

I have never seen him, but he is literally in charge of the country. He's not like the king and queen, though. If he says we should all be kind then we should all be kind. KAI, six

GORDON BROWN is Prime Minister and people at school in my class and in the playground say he is mad, silly and crazy. BEN, eight

They talk about him on the news. Some people don't like him because he is a bit bossy. My mum doesn't like him and I think he should do something with his hair. MAY, six

Thanks to Knowle Park Primary School in Bristol and St Michael's C of E Primary, Playden, East Sussex.


they know more than me

Happy Birthday Jamie

The best place to keep money safe is behind my snowman. TOM, four



I love that age.