Canadian parents feel they’re more prepared to talk to their children about drugs and alcohol than they are about money and finances, according to a recent online survey conducted by Angus Reid Strategies earlier this month.

The poll, commissioned by ING Direct, found that while 94% of parents with children under the age of 18 believe that they are responsible for educating their children about the importance of money, 82% of parents also feel financial education should be taught in school from Kindergarten to Grade 8.

As well, according to an ING Direct @SuperStarSaver Twitter poll that is currently running until the end of October, many parents would even rather talk to their kids about sex than money.

Online bank ING Direct is hoping to make easier for parents to have the “money talk” with their children with the launch of Planet Orange, a children’s website that makes learning about money entertaining and educational.

The website gives children a chance to embark on a variety of targeted space missions and discover the importance and value of money, along with personal finance lessons through fun and engaging games and activities.

The interactive, space-themed website comes fully equipped with a Teacher Resource Center that includes teacher tutorials, free lesson plans and supplemental information and tools to enhance the learning experience. There is also a Parent Centre that walks parents through the site and addresses how ING Direct protects the privacy of their kids online.

The Angus Reid Strategies online survey was conducted from Sept. 1 to Sept. 3 among 624 randomly selected Canadian adults who are parents of children under 18 years of age, and are Angus Reid Forum panelists. The margin of error-which measures sampling variability-is +/- 3.9%, 19 times out of 20.

IE