Exploring nature with U.S. Mint coins.
Monthly Mint Trivia: Can you name the gold medal the U.S. Mint produces that is considered the highest honor Congress can bestow on a citizen or group? (Answer: Congressional Gold Medal)
Classroom Coin Excursion
Get outside and explore nature through coins with the U.S. Mint’s hands-on experiments, movement-based lessons, and more. Read on to learn how U.S. Mint Coin Classroom resources can connect kids with coins and nature.
Educational Resources from the Mint:
- Coin Motion: Helps students identify and learn coin values using physical motion.
- Image Library: Conduct a scavenger hunt using images in the library to find examples of nature on coin designs.
- Podcast: Million Bazillion, How is Money Made?: Explore the coin production process.
Try one of the Mint’s activities that involves nature and natural elements:
- Coin Sun Prints (Grades K+): Use coins and the power of the sun to create a piece of art in this activity.
- Coin Power (Grades 4+): Make a battery from pennies and nickels!
- Flower Cents (Grades 3+): Try an experiment to discover if pennies help flowers last longer.
- Test Surface Tension (Grades 2+): See surface tension in action by using coins.
Coin of the Month: 2025 Native American $1 Coin
The 2025 Native American $1 Coin obverse (heads) design features a portrait of the central figure of Sacagawea carrying her infant son Jean-Baptiste. Inscriptions are “LIBERTY” and “IN GOD WE TRUST.” The year, mint mark, and “E PLURIBUS UNUM” are incused on the edge of the coin.
The reverse (tails) design features Mary Kawena Pukui wearing a hibiscus flower, a kukui nut lei, and a muʻumuʻu adorned with an aloha print. Stylized depictions of water appear in the background. Inscriptions include “UNITED STATES OF AMERICA,” “$1,” and “Nānā I Ke Kumu,” which translates literally to “Look to the Source.”
Coin Count Dice
Classroom Resources
Coins For You Booklet
Trivia Answer: Congressional Gold Medal