Viva Kids World About Coins and Notes
Level of knowledge: master
The Story of Money
Laura is almost finished. She only needs five more stickers to complete her collector's album. But no one needs the stickers Laura has anymore. So nobody wants to swap with her. What was it like back when people only used bartering? Is that why we invented money?
Level of knowledge: professional
Why Do We Pay Using Banknotes and Coins?
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Our money is made of paper and metal. These are durable materials that do not break easily. This is important for money to be accepted as a means of payment. Why? Imagine if we paid using cakes and something you wanted cost 200 cakes. By the time you'd saved up 200 cakes, they would be spoiled and no one would want them anymore.
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What if the only banknotes we had were 100-franc bills? You wouldn't be able to buy something that cost 5.20 francs, for instance, or you would have to keep cutting off pieces of the banknote. That's why our money is in various denominations. Centimes, coins, and bills of different values.
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Our money is protected by various features. These marks are known as security features. Security features make it difficult to make counterfeit money. This means not just anyone can print out money. And people can check whether their money is actually real.
Tip: Become a Banknote Detective
Grab a magnifying glass and take a careful look at Swiss banknotes. Can you find all the security features?
With the Swiss National Bank's new app, you can even bring banknotes to life. Ask your parents if you can try out the app.
Level of knowledge: expert
What Happens to the Old Notes?
The Swiss National Bank wants to have printed all of the new bills by 2019. The old bills will only be valid until the recall date set by the Swiss National Bank. After this date, the bills can no longer be used for payment in stores. The old bills will be collected by the Swiss National Bank, cut up into tiny pieces, and then burned.
The Uses of Money
We can use money to pay, that much is clear. But our money can do even more! Find out what this means here...
What Money Experts Know
1. People used to barter goods for other goods. Today, we pay using money. Our money is a means of exchange that we can redeem for anything.
2. Banknotes are protected by different security features. Banknotes are also swapped out regularly to make sure they actually remain secure.
3. In Switzerland, the Swiss National Bank is responsible for this: It prints banknotes and distributes them.
4. We can do more with our money than paying, though. It is also a counting unit and a means of storing value, so it also allows us to save.
Also Exciting
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The Secret of Saving
Laura is the leader of the Viva Kids. At her grandma's house, she finds a small and mysterious red book with numbers inside. But what is it? The Viva Kids gang search for the secret.
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There's No Such Thing as a Free Lunch
The Viva Kids still need 80 francs for their tree house. It's great that the Viva Kids can help Mr. Cash clear out the old garage and sell a few things at the flea market. They can earn a bit of extra cash that way. But then, things don't go according to plan...
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Do You Know the Viva Kids Gang?
Laura, Jan, Sophie, and Ben are the Viva Kids. They are inseparable and, together with Digipigi, they go on adventures related to the topic of money.
Jan
Jan is the oldest of the Viva Kids, and is a quiet mastermind. He is smart, knows how to put things together, and can quickly find out anything he doesn't know. It's no wonder that he's also at the top of his class. And with his skateboard, he's also pretty cool.
Aside from his skateboard, Jan is obsessed with stars. He knows almost every constellation and loves nighttime.
When he sits at the window by himself and looks up at the stars, Jan often thinks about really crazy things. Recently, for instance, he wondered: "What if money really only lasted for a single day and vanished into thin air every morning?"
Make Your Own Play Money
Place a coin under a sheet of paper and use your thumb and index finger to hold the paper tight. Rub a regular pencil or colored pencil over it until you have copied the design from the top of the coin. Hold your pencil as flat as possible. Cut out the coins and your money is ready!
