Money Makes the World Go Round

Before money there was barter. Money is actually a symbol that indicates relative value of goods and services. That symbol has changed over time – and how we handle money as changed as well. These activities may change how you think about – and use -- money.

CONNECT:

• Read interesting money facts, learn about how to save money, watch videos about money (such as how it's printed), play money-themed games and more at http://kids.usa.gov/money/index.shtml
• Trace the history of money at http://projects.exeter.ac.uk/RDavies/arian/amser/chrono.html
• Geography is in your pocket when you collect money. Compare bank notes from around the world at http://www.banknoteworld.com/
• See how currency has changed American history at http://www.frbsf.org/education/teacher-resources/american-currency-exhibit
• Explore the transformation of money with the e-money revolution at http://www.pbs.org/opb/electricmoney/
• Read these great stories about money: http://www.common-place.org/vol-06/no-03/

CREATE:

• Play with money, and earn while you learn, in these interactive games: http://www.themint.org/kids/
• Bank some fun at http://www.bankingkids.com/index_m.html
• Create origami from dollar bills by following the directions at http://www.origami-instructions.com/dollar-bill-origami.html
• ­http://americanhistory.si.edu/numismatics/ is the official site of the National Numismatic Collection at the Smithsonian Museum. Numismatic is the study of currency including coins and paper money and its history. Visit this museum virtually, and see their online collection of coins and money. You can start collection coins now, and watch their value grow as you grow up.
• Test your money smarts. Take this interactive quiz and learn about compounding interest, stocks, bonds, as well as other financial principles: ­­http://www.sec.gov/investor/tools/quiz.htm  (for older youth)
• Create a game based on converting money; how much is your allowance in rupees or yen, for instance? http://www.xe.com/currencyconverter/
• Learn money making skills by managing this virtual lemonade stand: http://www.classbrain.com/cb_games/cb_gms_bag/lemonade.html

CARE:

• Improve the family’s financial literacy by doing the activities at https://www.practicalmoneyskills.com/
• Can you identify counterfeit money? Learn how from the US Secret Service: http://www.secretservice.gov/know_your_money.shtml
• Does your family have any damaged money? Watch and learn how BEP (Bureau of Engraving and Printing) examiners piece together mutilated currency in this segment produced by NBC's Today Show: http://www.moneyfactory.gov/uscurrency/damagedcurrency.html
• If you start saving early enough, you could become a millionaire. Calculate how at http://www.bankrate.com/calculators/savings/saving-million-dollars.aspx

CAREERS:

Want to be paid for handling money? Here are some leads:

http://www.investopedia.com/university/financial-careers/

http://www.bankingcareersinfo.com/

http://www.worldwidelearn.com/online-education-guide/business/finance-major.htm

http://www.onetonline.org/find/career?c=6

Comic Arts: Vision for the Whole Family

Comics and graphic novels are part of the rich and varied field of comic arts.  They can really draw you into their world.

CONNECT:

• Find out about the history of graphic novels, comics and manga, how to build a graphic novel collection, and where you can read them online! http://www.ipl.org/div/graphicnovels/
• This graphic novel review site targets kids and teens, and provides a Comics 101 page and links to further resources: http://www.noflyingnotights.com/
• View this comic strip about graphic novels: http://w-wp.com/resources/what-is-a-graphic-novel/
• Trace the history of comics at http://www.comic-art.com/history.htm
• How do comics reflect different cultures? Find out at http://www.bbc.com/news/magazine-19112066

CREATE:

• Marvel Comics’ Stan Lee’s explains how to draw comics: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UdWsNp5KWdE&src_vid=B5tU2PuRdU8&feature=iv&annotation_id=annotation_573648619
• Make drawing a comic strip a fun family activity: http://www.mykidsadventures.com/create-comic-strip-kids/
• You can make comics by hand by following http://www.wikihow.com/Make-a-Comic  or
• http://marvel.com/games/play/34/create_your_own_comic
• Sesame Street shows how to read comics: http://ape-entertainment.com/kizoic/about/sesame-street/sesame-street-how-to-read/. And you can send your own comic art to this site.

CARE:

• Create your own comic strips online! Print them out or email them to friends. http://www.makebeliefscomix.com/.  Here are some tools to generate more advanced digital comics: http://mashable.com/2010/10/24/create-your-own-comics/. Consider making graphic novels to cheer someone up.
• Did you know that comics can help doctors improve their practice? Find out how and why at http://www.bbc.com/news/health-25112785
• Fotonovelas are a popular way to teach good health habits and other positive practices. See examples, and share some of them with people in need: http://www.rwhp.org/fotonovela.html
• How about volunteering for “Reading with Pictures” ? This group tries to get comics into schools: http://www.readingwithpictures.org/Reading_With_Pictures/Home.html
• Comic book stores care about access to comics, so they offer free comics on the first Saturday of May. Participate and get the word out at http://www.freecomicbookday.com/Home/1/1/27/992

CAREERS:

When you think of comics, do you think of drawing? Think about fotonovelas and photography. And there’s the publisher and seller.

• Dreaming of a career in comic arts? Start here: http://dw-wp.com/how-to-use-this-site/students/
• View the life of a comics journalist at https://medium.com/@susie_c/eight-years-of-solitude-110ee3276edf
• Here’s the in-between world of the graphic novelist: http://www.newyorker.com/books/page-turner/the-in-between-world-of-the-graphic-novelist 
• Watch this panel of graphic novelists: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WZb3tRiATZI

Sink Your Teeth Into These Activities

We often take our teeth for granted until they hurt – or fall out. Gnaw on these fun facts and activities below.

CONNECT:

• Sharks may grow over 20,000 teeth in their lifetime; they never run out of teeth. Find more fun shark teeth facts at http://www.kidzone.ws/sharks/facts2.htm
• You can also find out about fossil shark teeth at https://www.flmnh.ufl.edu/fish/sharks/fossils/fossil_modernsharkteeth.html
• See extreme animal teeth at http://www.oddee.com/item_98432.aspx
• Have you heard of winning by the skin of your teeth? Watch walruses do tusk wrestling at http://video.nationalgeographic.com/video/walrus_tuskwrestling

CREATE:

• Sink your teeth into these challenges and quizzes about teeth: http://healthyteeth.org/kids
• Teeth are shaped for the kind of food being eaten. Match animals and their teeth at http://www.sciencekids.co.nz/gamesactivities/teetheating.html
• Test your knowledge about tusks at https://www.thedodo.com/community/Elegirl/the-truth-about-tusks-648225506.html

CARE:

• Do you need braces for your teeth? Find out what’s involved at http://kidshealth.org/kid/grow/body_stuff/braces.html (lee esta articulo en Español)
• Watch how soda impacts your teeth at http://www.wda.org/your-oral-health/sip-all-day
• See 19 habits that wreck your teeth: http://www.webmd.com/oral-health/ss/slideshow-teeth-wreckers
• Your pets need healthy teeth just as you do, but they hold a toothbrush. The ASPCA (American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals) offers tips for dog’s dental health (https://www.aspca.org/pet-care/dog-care/ten-steps-your-dogs-dental-health) and cat’s dental health (https://www.aspca.org/pet-care/cat-care/ten-steps-dental-health).

CAREERS:

A career in dentistry can lead to good money – and it’s both a good service and a clean high-tech environment. There’s quite a range of dental-related jobs, such as anesthesia, research, manufacturing, advertising, and veterinary science.

http://www.dentalcareerguide.com/

http://work.chron.com/become-animal-dental-hygienist-25804.html

I Like Candy

It’s holiday time, and that usually means candy. Chew on these sweet websites. Calorie-free!

CONNECT:

Get scientific about chocolate, from the source to your body: at http://www.exploratorium.edu/exploring/exploring_chocolate/index.html

Have you ever heard the phrase: “Goody gumdrops!”? Read about the history of the gumdrop: http://classroom.synonym.com/invention-gumdrop-12076.html

It can take up to 10 days to make a jelly bean! Watch how it’s done at http://manufacturing.stanford.edu/hetm.html

Watch how the professionals make taffy: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NVV5exYaq9A

     And here’s how you can make taffy yourself at home: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AZjp522yMI8

Did you know that there is an international association about chewing gum? Get fun facts and figures at http://www.gumassociation.org/index.cfm/facts-figures/ You can also explore how it’s made, its benefits, and how to reduced the impact of littered gum.

There’s some pretty weird candy around the globe; see a sampling at http://www.cntraveler.com/galleries/2014-10-10/weird-candy-from-around-the-world/. Dream up your own weird candy.

Here’s a list of the 50 best candies in the world: http://www.complex.com/pop-culture/2012/10/best-candies-around-the-world/. Do you agree? Make up your own list.

CREATE:

Make your own candy by following the directions at http://www.kidactivities.net/post/easy-candy-recipes-kids-can-make.aspx

There’s a science to making candy: http://blog.ice.edu/2014/06/23/sugar-science-the-art-of-candy-making/

Try these candy science experiments: http://www.science-sparks.com/2014/06/17/candy-science/

Do parents ever say: “Don’t play with your food”? You can play math games with candy at http://www.learnplayimagine.com/2013/10/math-games-with-candy.html

Party time! Adapt some of these candy party themes: http://www.queen-of-theme-party-games.com/candy-birthday-party.html. Make up your own candy party ideas.

CARE:

What are the best and worst candies for your teeth? Find out at http://www.knowyourteeth.com/infobites/abc/article/?abc=t&iid=295&aid=10015

Oops! Did your candy drop and stain something? Test these candy stain removal solutions: http://home.howstuffworks.com/how-to-remove-candy-stains.htm

Show you care by making candy care packages: for the military or others in need. Here’s a start: http://www.dollartree.com/custserv/custserv.jsp?pageName=Non-Profit-Organization-Ideas

Try these ideas for a candy cane party service project: http://www.pioneerclubs.org/candy-cane-party-christmas-service-projects/

CAREERS:
From growing the ingredients to making the candy, and then packaging, selling, and serving it: each process is a career. Here are a few tasty candy-related job ideas.

http://www.insidejobs.com/careers/candy-maker

http://careers.stateuniversity.com/pages/6/Candy-Manufacturing-Worker.html

http://money.howstuffworks.com/30929-dirty-jobs-candy-maker-video.htm