Through the exhibition Once Upon a Dime: The World of Money young people will discover the fascinating story of money over thousands of years and across the world. They’ll be invited to peek into a bank vault filled with all different kinds of "money," follow the story of money from barter to digital dollars through a series of interactive activities, and be challenged to think about how they would spend, save, and invest their own money. Then they’ll become inspectors and examine how governments around the world develop anti-counterfeiting measures. Designed to strengthen the financial literacy of school-age children, this exhibition includes a series of weekend family workshops on topics such as budgets, debt and savings. Once Upon a Dime is a great experience for families, school classes and after-school groups.Discove the world of money through the six sections of the exhibit:
Travel back to a time before there was money
- Look inside a bank vault and see money from around the world as well as objects that served as money in different cultures.
- Experience the challenges of barter first-hand as you imagine you are Captain Robert Treat bartering with Native American Chief Oraton for the city of Newark, New Jersey.
Follow the trail of money from coins to paper to digital dollars
- See how different cultures used iron rods, kissi pennies, cowrie shells and coco beans as a medium of exchange. Learn why this was complicated, as well as how metal money evolved.
- Watch an actual coin being pressed.
- Feel the weight of $20 in pennies and see how many coins it would take to buy a car.
- Use a magnifying glass to examine coins and paper currency from around the world and learn their stories.
Money and Me
- Save It ¬ In the Bank or Under a Mattress? You choose where you should put your money and see what happens as a result.
- Spend It ¬ Cash or Credit? Decide how much to spend on sneakers and whether or not to pay cash or use credit ¬ and see the financial results of the decision.
- Invest It ¬Watch a moving stock ticker, match company magnets to their stock symbol and explore the gigantic stock market tables.
- Run your own business in the Cookie Café and see how earning, spending and saving all come together in the game, "Build a Business".
Money Lab
- Explore ways in which the U.S. government uses techniques to prevent counterfeiting such as watermarks, threads, and holographic inserts and paper currency.
Digital Dollars
- See how the teen techno-goddess "Digital Diva" uses electronic dollars instead of cash to complete transactions in a wall-sized comic book.
Children's Activity Workshop
- Set inside a bank, this Activity Workshop space will be the site of specially developed instructor led workshops, focusing on money management, coin and currency design, and international money that will serve school groups that visit the Museum.
JPMorgan Chase presents Once Upon A Dime: The World of Money organized by The Newark Museum.
