A great time at the Kids Zone
Kids enjoy bevy of activities in Philadelphia
Would you like to see your face on a $100,000 bill? Can you picture yourself as Liberty on a platinum American Eagle coin? Young visitors at the ANA World's Fair of MoneySM in Philadelphia did these and more in the free ANA Kids Zone.
Budding
young artists put their imaginations to work by designing their own
coins or paper money. Some chose to display their monetary items
for the rest of the show; others took their artwork home. Who
knows, maybe some of them will create money we'll find in our
wallets some day.
How did collectors share their coin discoveries before the days of digital cameras, e-mail and the Internet? Coin rubbings were one answer. Kids got to try their hand at the art with paper, pencils, crayons, and a selection of U.S. and world coins.
Kids (and families) discovered some surprising things that have been used as money. The items were sweet, spicy… and even common today. They learned why were they valuable, where were they used, and when.
Dozens of countries on a world map were flagged to mark the origin of all the coins kids pulled from a grab bag. With a little assistance from ANA staff and convention volunteers, kids used magnifiers to take a closer look and identify their selections. Better yet-they got to take their coins home to start their own collections.
Not old enough to vote in the upcoming Presidential election? No worry. In the Kids Zone election, young convention visitors cast ballots for one of four Presidents depicted on coins in our pocket change: Abraham Lincoln (cent), Thomas Jefferson (nickel), Franklin D. Roosevelt (dime) and George Washington (quarter). The lead changed in each day's exit polls, but at the end of the show, the results showed their favorite was Abraham Lincoln, who captured 39.3 percent of their votes. Washington took second with 36.1 percent, Jefferson third with 13.1 percent, and Roosevelt fourth with 11.5 percent.
Families and school-age children also played the free ANA "Treasure Trivia" game. Those who found the answers to numismatic questions from participating dealers and clubs on the bourse floor went home with great prizes and a greater understanding of the hobby.
