October 11, 2012 – The American Numismatic Association debuts the ‘Kids Zone,’ an interactive exhibit designed to teach children about money at the Edward C. Rochette Money Museum in Colorado Springs.
The Kids Zone teaches kids about money the way they learn best: by doing and playing. Through fun activities, children can pick up basic and advanced concepts – from how to make change to understanding monetary systems. The exhibits teach children about history, geography, trade, art, world cultures and more.
Children can see items, such as tools and beads, which have been used as money around the world; see and touch real examples of coins from six continents, then find them on the Giant Map; design their own coins; learn about coin and paper money collecting and more.
‘Even as an adult, I think children’s museums are the most fun museum experiences. For kids, I think they are the best way to experience a museum,’ said Amanda Harvey, ANA Library Manager and Kids Zone coordinator. ‘The Kids Zone takes all the great information in the Money Museum and turns it into a hands-on learning opportunity for young kids.’
During the opening reception, children were able to play in the new exhibit and try to win a prize inside of the cash cube machine. There was a live coin-making demonstration in the museum’s Mini-Mint, where staffers showed visitors how coins were made from the 1500s to 1800s.
Children interested in learning more about money and collecting can sign up for free monthly Kids Zone classes. Classes for children ages 4-7 run from 10:30 a.m. to noon, and courses for ages 8-12 are from 1:30 p.m. to 3 p.m.
Upcoming classes include:
Oct. 27: Parts of a Coin
Nov. 17: How Coins are Made (with a live coin-making demonstration)
Dec. 15: United States Coins
For a full class schedule, please click here. Children who participate in classes will be eligible to enter upcoming contests. If kids take three classes, they will earn a free six-month ANA young collector membership, which will allow them more educational opportunities and ways to earn cool coins.
The American Numismatic Association’s Edward C. Rochette Money Museum lets visitors discover the world of money through entertaining and interactive exhibits. As the nation’s largest museum dedicated solely to numismatics, the museum uses money as a means to explore culture, art, science and history. Learn the stories behind the money and see how 2,600 years of human experience is reflected in money.
The museum collection consists of 275,000 objects encompassing the history of money, from its earliest uses in the Lydian Empire to the modern day. This includes paper money, coins, tokens and medals from all over the world.
For more information go to the website of the American Numismatic Association.