Tired of our paper currency? Same old, same old? Wish our money had more pizazz?
Whether or not you think the U.S. could stand a change, here's a fun challenge to pose to your kids: Re-design the dollar bill!
That's what Richard Smith has challenged our entire country to try. Smith, a creative strategy consultant, believes that snazzing up our currency will help to boost the economy. While I'm not so sure I agree something like that will work (a wallet empty of green bills is the same as an empty wallet of redesigned bills to me!), I figure it can't hurt. Smith's Dollar ReDe$ign Project received a vast array of entries and they sure are fun to look at. The entry period is over, but voting on designs is still going on.
Regardless of what you think of the concept and the designs, think of the great conversations you can have with your kids concerning our paper money:
- Explain the images on our current bills.
- Ask them to design a bill using something old and something new. (What new symbol has meaning to them when it comes to our country?
- Should the new bill be one color or lots of colors? Which colors?
- Visit the U.S. government kids' site. Lots of great links for learning about money.
So, what do you think? Could we stand a design overhaul on paper money? If so, what should it look like? From the contenders in the Dollar ReDe$ign Project, I like Carlos Carillos' design and Sean Flannagan's best.
