I’m about a decade late to this party, but I’m here to say that late is truly better than never when it comes to engaging your kids in real-world learning.

Over the past several weeks my youngest son, in particular, has shown an interest in collecting quarters from each of the 50 States. He’s been sorting through our coin jar, turning each quarter over in his hand, and proclaiming the unique qualities of each. He’s amazed at both Connecticut’s sprawling tree and the shiny guitars from Tennessee. He’s memorized by Alaska’s grizzly and the breathtaking coast of Oregon.

Last Friday I put in an order with these fine folks for a 50 State Quarter. It arrived on s Collector’s Map. It arrived at our doorstep yesterday and we had a great time finding all the states, remembering which ones we’ve visited, and noting which are on our Spring Break route.

Collecting all 50 quarters is a a great way to:

• discuss north, south, east, west ["Can you find where Nevada goes? It's in the western United States..."]
• practice counting money
• encourage saving instead of spending
• introduce basic geography ["Kansas is south of Iowa but north of Texas"]
• enjoy the great qualities of each of our great states!

Give it a try with your little ones!