After an enthusiastic response to its survey last spring, the Bank of Canada Museum is working on an exhibition for children.
“Last spring, we asked kids what they wanted to know about money,” as stated on the museum’s website. “The response was overwhelming—a whopping 846 questions! And we answered each and every one of them. We received questions from Beaver Creek, Yukon to Paradise, Newfoundland and dozens of places in between. The kids asked thoughtful, relevant and, sometimes, complex questions. They wanted to know how money is printed; why it’s different colours; where and how money originated; how cryptocurrencies work, and why different countries have different currencies. Many wondered how much money there is in Canada, or even the world.”
The museum said they also received “fun questions” such as:
- Is there a button to press in the bank if there’s a robbery, like in the movies?
- Why is money dirty?
- Why isn’t all money chocolate?
- How can I get my hands on a money printer?
The museum said, “This enthusiastic response to our call for questions has shown us that there is an appetite and a need for financial and economic literacy among young people. Their questions revealed that kids are aware of money at a very early age and that it is important to give them tools to make good financial decisions in the future.”
In the next few months, the museum said staff will be “sorting through this archive of questions and answers and building an exhibition from it. We’ll be looking for the subjects that are of most interest to kids and searching out the gaps in their understanding.”