Money Money Money

Our topic in math this week is money.

First of all we brainstormed what we already knew;

• different countries have different money (currencies)
• we have dollars and cents
• you can earn money
• you can buy things with money
• you can sell things to get money
• you give it away (donate)
• coins have heads and tails
• some people have lots of money (rich)
• some people don't have much at all (poor)
• some times people steal money
• money can be transferred around the world
• you can save money
• you can put money in the bank
• some money isn't real (counterfeit)
• money doesn't grow on trees

Then we looked at some real money. We noticed that;

• there are notes and coins
• the notes look like they are made from paper - but it feels funny
• the coins are made from metal
• when you hold a note up to the light you can see the Queen
• the coins have carvings (engraving) on them
• the notes don't rip like paper

We had some questions that we want to answer.

• What kind of paper are the notes made of?
• Why are the notes and coins all different sizes?
• Why do they have different pictures on them?
• Who are the people on the notes?
• How do they decide what people/animals to put on the money?
• Why is the Queen's face hidden in the paper?
• What is the wee window on the notes?

We will be investigating the answers to these questions. Some websites that might be useful for our research are;

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/New_Zealand_dollar

http://www.rbnz.govt.nz/currency/money/3258122.html

http://www.sciencekids.co.nz/sciencefacts/technology/money.html

http://www.factmonster.com/ipka/A0769539.html

http://www.childrensmuseum.org/special_exhibits/moneyville/pop5.htm