Money, Money, Money

Bailouts, recessions, trade deficits, foreclosures — a lot of today's headlines boil down to money. How did money evolve into such a large aspect of human life? Here are a couple of interesting books that delve into this topic.

The Story of Money is a strikingly well illustrated account of the history of moola. It clearly reveals the transition of human activity from hunting and gathering to bartering and trading to using coins, paper money, checks and credit. Children will be fascinated by the variety of interesting coins depicted in the book. Also by what was considered a valuable trade item in years gone by. For instance, some eastern North American natives favored bartering with wampum, which are strung together beads made from welk and clam shells that were then made into belts and jewelry. And in Ethiopia as recently as World War II salt was still used in lieu of cash. It was valuable because people needed it and it was hard to find. All in all this book is a great overview of money. To coin a phrase, “good job, well done.”

Ages 9-12
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I was curious to compare this to another money themed book. Whereas The Story of Money is a chronological history, Money (DK Eyewitness Books) is a browser’s delight. Lots of fabulous photographs with themed spreads ranging from money in times of war to the different ways in which money has been carried, how money is made and money from different countries. This book is loaded with an abundant array of information. I would particularly recommend it to the child interested in coin collecting.

Ages 9-12
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Activity: The United States Mint offers a kids site called H.I.P. Pocket Change with loads of interactive activities. We really enjoyed designing our own coins. Drag the artists tools to the work area and use the arrows to make your design selections.

Jekyll Island, Georgia

We just took a quick trip to Jekyll Island via our boat. We saw wild horses on Cumberland Island on the way up. We docked at the marina and stayed at the Jekyll Island Club. This place is teeming with history! It was the private club and winter playground for the northeast multi-millionaire set back in it’s heyday from 1886 to 1926. Things slowed down after that and it closed altogether in 1942. Here in 1910, J. P. Morgan and a host of other big wigs (whose assets then totaled about one-sixth of the world’s wealth!) had clandestine meetings to set up the Federal Reserve System.

There is a great little museum not far from the Club. The kids also love the bike paths that are everywhere (bikes are readily available for rent), the beach (though the water is a tad too brown for our spoiled St. Augustine tastes), the water park (open in the summer), and the horses available for riding (not the wild variety).