Currency

Imagine you have a basket of yummy red apples, but you really want your friend’s warm, fuzzy blanket. What do you do? You swap. A long, long time ago, around 9000 BCE, that’s how everyone got what they needed. People would trade pretty seashells for strong tools. Or they might give a big cow in exchange for lots of grain to eat all winter. But carrying a big, heavy cow to the market is very, very hard. It goes 'moo' all the way. It was a big puzzle.

That’s when I came along to help. Hello, I’m Currency. You might also know me as money. Instead of trading a big cow, people needed something small and easy to carry. So, a very long time ago, around 600 BCE in a place called Lydia, people made me into shiny metal circles. They were called coins. Clink, clink, clink. Later, in a place called China around the 7th century, they made me out of paper. I was as light as a feather and could fit right in your pocket. No more heavy cows.

Today, I am still helping you. I live in pockets and piggy banks. When you use me to buy a bouncy ball, a yummy ice cream cone, or a colorful new book, I am there. I help people all over the world share and get the things they need to be happy and healthy. I am a little helper in your pocket, making it easy for everyone to trade and play.