Exhibit: Show Us the Money

Moneyville Exhibit at The Children’s Museum of Atlanta

Cha-ching! A recent visit to The Children’s Museum of Atlanta was well worth the investment of time – Moneyville is the best special exhibit we’ve ever experienced at the museum!
There are so many hands-on elements to experience that both my boys (ages 2 and 8) were captivated for hours. They both spent lots of time at the Lemonade Stand, where a younger child can pretend he’s selling drinks behind the counter, while an older child can work on the computer to determine how much material he needs to meet demand, and select a price point that would make a profit. Who knew how much decision-making goes into something as simple as a lemonade stand?
My 2-year-old’s favorite station was the Bank, where he organized coins and pretended to make transactions through the window. Two kids can be tellers at the same time, and interact with each other and the customers for a real world scenario. My youngest also loved the station where he could create his own money, using colored pencils, crayons and textured rubbing patterns. 
My 8-year-old and I visited the Stock Exchange area, where we bought and sold pretend stocks by watching the ticker and a screen that showed news of the day and gave tidbits to encourage buying or selling stock in a particular segment. For example, when the weather’s getting colder, people are purchasing more warm weather clothes. We looked for companies that make sweaters and coats and bought quickly to get in on that “tip”!
In the Anti-Counterfeiting Lab, we examined a $20 dollar bill under a microscope to see the intricate details that make it authentic, and learned why counterfeit money is bad for the economy. It was interesting to us all to know the detail that goes into creating U.S. currency.
We were fascinated by a display that shows how raw materials that come from other countries, like cotton from China or dye from India, are purchased by manufacturers to help build familiar products we buy in the U.S., like a baseball or a pair of jeans. It really helped illustrate the reasons we buy from and trade with other countries.
This exhibit captured the attention of children of all ages and answered so many questions about how people make money, spend it, and save it.
– Sharie Bassett