Ten P2 students from Elliot Primary School visited the Bermuda Monetary Authority for a lesson in the island’s currency and a tour of the BMA’s museum of notes and coins.

The tour by teacher Chrystal Bean’s class was directed by Michael Burgess of the BMA and focused on teaching the children about numismatics, which is the study or collection of currency. Numismatics includes collections of coins, tokens, paper money and related objects, like what is on display in the BMA’s museum, the organisation said.

The tour began with a presentation customised for primary school children, giving them a better overall understanding of currency, such as the value of money, how it is made and circulation processes from distribution to the end of a currency’s lifecycle.

The presentation also focused on the island’s history from the introduction of currency in Bermuda to present day, including significant historical references and landmarks that are integrated into our local coins and banknotes, the BMA said.

Following the presentation, students were provided with an interactive tour of the museum, allowing for a closer view of the coins and paper notes that were introduced during the presentation. This combination of classroom style learning and touring the museum has proven to be a successful combination for students to better understand the concept of currency, the BMA said.