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February 21 – All About Pennies

February 21 Fun Fact of the Day for Kids

Today, on February 21, let’s dive into the shiny world of pennies! Pennies might seem small, but they have a big history and are packed with interesting facts. From their design to their composition, there’s a lot to learn about these common coins. At the end of this exploration, you’ll see pennies in a whole new light. You can check out all of the Fact of the Day for kids here.

So A Penny a Day or One Million Up Front? What Did You Choose?

Let’s start with this question – Would you rather have a penny today, that doubled everyday for a month, or $1 million today?

Let’s break this down with a bit of math to see which option ends up giving you more money by the end of a 30-day month.

Option 1: You start with a penny, and it doubles every day for 30 days.

  • Day 1: $0.01
  • Day 2: $0.02
  • Day 3: $0.04
  • …
  • Day 30: ?

Option 2: You receive $1 million upfront.

To calculate the total amount for Option 1, we can use the formula for exponential growth, which in this case is 0.01×2(�−1)0.01×2(n−1), where �n is the day number. Let’s calculate the value for day 30.

By the end of the 30th day, if you started with a penny that doubled every day, you would have $5,368,709.12.

Comparing the two options:

  • Option 1 (penny doubled every day for a month): $5,368,709.12
  • Option 2 ($1 million today): $1,000,000

Therefore, you would be better off choosing the penny that doubles every day for a month over receiving $1 million today.

FIVE FUN FACTS ABOUT PENNIES

  1. The first U.S. penny was minted in 1787 and was designed by Benjamin Franklin.
  2. Pennies were originally made from copper but now are mostly zinc with a thin copper coating.
  3. The Lincoln penny was the first U.S. coin to feature a historical figure.
  4. If you have a 1943 copper penny, it could be worth up to $85,000 because most pennies that year were made of steel.
  5. The U.S. Mint produces over 13 billion pennies annually, more than any other coin.

ACTIVITY IDEAS TO CELEBRATE FEBRUARY 21

Pennies are not just for spending—they can also be fun! Here are some activities that you can do at school or home to celebrate the day:

  • See how many pennies you can stack in under 30 seconds.
  • Time yourself flipping 10 pennies from all heads to all tails.
  • Count how many coin flips it takes you to get three heads in a row.
  • Create art by arranging pennies in different patterns or shapes.
  • Guess the year of a penny before looking at it, then check to see if you were right.

Check out these penny games for more fun: Penny Games

QUESTIONS TO THINK ABOUT PENNIES

Let’s think deeper about pennies and what they represent. Here are some questions to ponder:

  • Why do you think pennies are still made, even though they are worth so little?
  • How would you design a new penny, and what would you put on it?
  • What are the pros and cons of getting rid of the penny?
  • How does the history of the penny reflect the history of the United States?
  • If you could make a penny out of any material, what would it be and why?

WOULD YOU RATHER QUESTIONS FOR FEBRUARY 21

Here are five questions to spark conversation. Would you rather…

  • Have a penny from every year they’ve been made or one rare penny worth a lot of money?
  • Only be able to use pennies to pay for things for a day or only $100 bills?
  • Find a penny on the ground every day or find a dollar once a week?
  • Be able to make a wish on every penny you find or save them for a year and buy something big?
  • Have a job designing new pennies or deciding where to donate pennies collected for charity?

MORE FUN STUFF

Here are more fun ideas to help keep the kids entertained:

Enjoy exploring these penny facts and activities!

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