Have you ever watched a squirrel gathering nuts for winter, or noticed how a library keeps lots of books on its shelves?
These are examples of stock – resources that are collected and stored for future use.
Just like a squirrel’s collection of nuts or a library’s collection of books, stock is something we keep in reserve until we need it.
Stock is any collection of resources that builds up over time within a system.
Think of it like a water tank that can be filled up when there’s plenty of water available, and drawn from when water is needed.
Stock can be physical things you can touch (like food in a pantry), or things you can’t touch (like a list of customers waiting for service).
There are different types of stock:
Stock plays important roles in different types of systems:
Stock helps systems work better in several ways:
Provides Buffer: Having stock helps handle unexpected changes or demands
Ensures Stability: Regular access to stored resources keeps systems running smoothly
Enables Planning: Knowing your stock levels helps make better decisions
Creates Security: Having reserves provides protection against shortages
Good stock management involves:
Managing stock can be tricky for a number of reasons:
Remember, stock is a fundamental part of how systems work. Whether it’s a squirrel’s nut collection, a library’s books, or a store’s inventory, understanding how to manage stock helps systems run more smoothly and reliably. Good stock management means having enough resources when you need them, without wasting space or resources on excess stock you don’t need.
Toy Story offers a delightful exploration of stock through Andy’s toy collection, where each toy represents a resource within an interconnected system.
Through Woody’s crisis when Buzz Lightyear arrives, students witness how changes in stock – whether additions or potential losses – can dramatically impact system dynamics.
The film cleverly demonstrates stock management through the toys’ shifting roles and values, from Woody’s status as a cherished resource suddenly threatened with obsolescence to the integration of new “stock” in the form of Buzz.
As viewers follow the toys’ adventures, they learn how stocks must be maintained and adapted to remain valuable within a system, illustrated by the toys’ constant efforts to stay relevant in Andy’s world.
Through this animated lens, students gain an accessible framework for understanding how resources accumulate, deplete, and influence the behavior of complex systems, whether those systems are toy collections or real-world resource networks.
1. How does Andy’s toy collection demonstrate the basic concept of stock?
a) It shows resources he has gathered over time
b) It only includes new toys
c) It represents temporary items
d) It shows random objects
2. Which type of stock do Woody and Buzz represent in Andy’s room?
a) Non-physical stock
b) Digital stock
c) Physical stock
d) Temporary stock
3. How does Andy’s toy box function in terms of stock management?
a) It destroys the toys
b) It serves as a storage system for his toy stock
c) It removes stock automatically
d) It creates new toys
4. What kind of stock system is demonstrated in Sid’s room?
a) A well-organized system
b) A non-physical system
c) A poorly managed physical stock system
d) A digital system
5. How do the toys in Andy’s room demonstrate stock rotation?
a) They get played with at different times and frequencies
b) They never change positions
c) They only get used once
d) They disappear after use
6. What happens to the “stock level” in Andy’s room when he receives new toys for his birthday?
a) Stock remains the same
b) Stock decreases
c) Stock disappears
d) Stock increases
7. How do the older toys demonstrate the concept of stock maintenance?
a) They require no care
b) They break down immediately
c) They maintain themselves
d) They need care to remain usable
8. What type of stock buffer is shown when Andy keeps extra toys in his toy chest?
a) No buffer at all
b) A reserve of toys for future play
c) A temporary system
d) A digital buffer
9. In terms of stock management, what does the toy chest represent?
a) A stock monitoring system
b) A destruction system
c) A storage system
d) A creation system
10. How does the movie show the importance of protecting stock?
a) The toys are indestructible
b) The toys maintain themselves
c) The toys need to be kept safe and in good condition
d) The toys never need protection
1. a
2. c
3. b
4. c
5. a
6. d
7. d
8. b
9. c
10. c
Verse 1:
Like a squirrel gathering nuts
Or lakes that hold the rainfall’s touch
Every system needs its store
Saving up for something more
Pre-Chorus:
Physical things upon a shelf
Energy that can’t be felt
Balance what we save and spend
Resources we might need again
Chorus:
What We Keep, safe and sound
Like treasures buried underground
Not too much and not too few
What We Keep will see us through
Verse 2:
Knowledge stored within the mind
Waiting lines of patient time
Buffer zones for rainy days
Stock that keeps the system safe
(Pre-Chorus)
(Chorus)
Bridge:
Between the flow of out and in
Lives wisdom in what we maintain
Too much weighs the system down
Too little leaves us wanting now
(Chorus)
Outro:
What We Keep, now we know
How to help our systems grow
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