The Great American Field Trip
Embark on a historic journey with the U.S. Mint!
Monthly Mint Trivia: What is the technique used to place letters or symbols on the edge of a coin instead of on the obverse or reverse?
The Great American Field Trip: Exploring U.S. Mint Facilities
The Great American Field Trip can take students behind the scenes of the U.S. Mint—without ever leaving the classroom, or as inspiration for an unforgettable in-person visit. U.S. Mint facilities across the country offer engaging educational resources that show how our nation’s coins are designed and produced. Virtual tours, lesson plans, and videos make Mint facilities an accessible option for all grade levels, while in-person visits at the Philadelphia and Denver Mint facilities offer authentic personal interaction. It’s a uniquely American way to bring history to life—one coin at a time.
Discover how the U.S. Mint designs and distributes coins at its facilities with these valuable resources.
- Comparing Colonies: (Grades 3-5): Students will explore living conditions and methods of money exchange in the original thirteen colonies.
- Coin Memory Match: Challenge memory and observation skills in this classic game of matching.
- Mint Virtual Tour: Take a behind the scenes look at the coin production process and enhance learning using this bingo card activity.
Additional resources from around the web:
- Historical Time Period Investigation: Students will analyze historical time periods and patterns of continuity and change through multiple perspectives within and among cultures and societies using this lesson plan from the American Numismatic Association.
- Thanksgiving: Pilgrims and American Indians: Develop historical knowledge while exploring the Pilgrim’s voyage and how it shaped American history using this lesson plan from the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services.
- Gifts and Trading: Build foundational economic understanding with this lesson plan from the National Park Service. Students will learn the purpose of trading and how people met their needs before money existed.
Coin of the Month: 2026 Mayflower Compact Quarter
The obverse design features two Pilgrims embracing as they behold the New World. The inscriptions are “E PLURIBUS UNUM,” “1776 ~ 2026,” and “IN GOD WE TRUST.”
The reverse design features the Mayflower, with full sails over rough seas, heading west. The Pilgrims aboard sought religious freedom in the New World, eventually landing at Cape Cod and settling in what later became Plymouth, Massachusetts. The inscriptions are “UNITED STATES OF AMERICA,” “LIBERTY,” “MAYFLOWER COMPACT,” and “25¢.”
Million Bazillion: How is Money Made
Video: How Coins are Made
Scavenger Hunt
Trivia Answer: Edge lettering