13 September 2010 Pence

Sam is working her way through the Kindergarten level of an American math curriculum called Right Start Math. Today’s lesson involved money. “You’ll need 5 pennies and 2 nickels.”

Hmm. I apparently don’t have two American coins to rub together here in the UK, so we did the lesson with pence, which is much more meaningful to Sam anyway, since the girl has her own growing coin collection. Sam LIVES for finding money and a week doesn’t go by that she doesn’t find something on the sidewalk or on the floors of shops. But when you ask her where is the best place to find money, she replies, “In Daddy’s pockets!” (She was delighted a few months ago to find a pound coin on the floor of her bedroom. It had dropped out of her father’s pocket while he was lying in bed reading to her.)

The coins in the photo are from left to right: 5p coins, 2p coins, and pennies. After talking about what each coin is worth and how we can tell them apart (“The Queen’s crown is different on the 5p–why?”), we did some addition. I was grateful then for those funny 2p coins, which allowed Sam to add up more interesting combinations of coins. Nickels, dimes, and quarters will have to wait till we’re in the States again.