Talking to young kids -- especially teenagers -- about money can be an excruciating experience. As a result, I decided a few years ago to stop accepting requests to speak to classes about investing and other financial issues. Despite the best efforts of their dedicated teachers, for every one student who made an effort to pay attention, there were 29 others who couldn't be more bored.

After all, they know everything, right?

But when I got the invitation to speak at the Money Camp that is part of the College for Kids Program at Palomar College, I thought that this might be worth the effort. After all, this is a summer school program, and their parents have paid a modest sum to have the kids participate.

It turned out to be a wonderful experience.

Money Camp is a national program that got its start in Santa Barbara four years ago and was the brainchild of a physical trainer, Elisabeth Donati. She had recently read "Rich Dad, Poor Dad" and wondered why there wasn't something like that around when she was growing up.

So she teamed up with a local Boys & Girls Club and put together a project that would both entertain and educate kids about money. Today, the camps are springing up everywhere, and the results are phenomenal.

The program is very interactive, and the kids are taught the basics of money management, as well as the how and why of investing.

Even so, I was a bit intimidated as I walked into the room of about 25 fourth- and fifth-graders. So I decided to use the Peter Lynch approach to investing: Put your money into companies that make products you know and understand.

I asked the students how many of them had gone to see the new "Harry Potter" movie. About three-quarters of them raised their hands. Then I asked how many were planning to either buy or read the new book. It was almost unanimous.

The final question was, do you know the name of the company that publishes the book? Not a single hand went up.

So I told them that Scholastic put out all seven of the J.K Rowling books and that it is a publicly traded company, meaning that they could actually own a piece of the Potter empire.

I also told them, to be honest, that the stock has been a dog. After peaking in 2002 at around $50 a share, it has lingered in the mid-$30s ever since.

We then started talking about other things that they enjoy and how it can offer investment opportunities. The hot topic was Disney. All of them had been to the Magic Kingdom, probably multiple times. Even one of the moms in the room chimed in on how the certificates for Disney stock feature all of the characters from the theme parks and the movies.

The kids were loaded with questions and were sincere in their interest. So I was thrilled when they asked me to come back and speak at the Money Camp in August. You can learn more by going to www.palomar.edu.

Be careful. Your kids will probably come back from the weeklong camp knowing more about investing that you do.

George Chamberlin is a regular contributor to the North County Times, and also is a TV and radio commentator. Contact him at geoc1045@adelphia.net.