NATIONAL ONE CENT DAY
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Today we celebrate the history of the penny. Worth just one cent, the penny is rich in historical value!
Under the Congress of the Confederation, the first “penny” created was the Fugio coin. It is also known as the Franklin Coin, as it was designed by Ben Franklin. It was worth 1/100 of a Spanish dollar and minted ONLY in 1787. They were created by a private coiner and not widely circulated.
The first coin with a value of 1/100 of a U.S. dollar was minted in 1793. It was a “Large Cent” with a diameter of 11⁄8 inches containing the personification of Liberty with flowing hair on the front, and an interlinked chain on the back
This was our first official coinage minted by the United States, on United States Land, using United States equipment. That’s exciting.
The Large Cent was made of copper by the Philadelphia Mint. They were bulky and bigger than modern-day quarters.
The Large Cent was replaced by what we now call the penny in 1857.
Did you know that the casual term, penny comes from a British coin of the same name? The official U.S. mint name is “cent” and the U.S. Treasury refers to what we call the penny as a “one cent piece”.
That’s why today is National ONE CENT DAY and Not National Penny Day.
Coincidentally, the penny costs the government of the US more than 1 cent to produce, and as such, it is worth examining the discussion if the penny should continue to be produced. Perhaps today you can create a list outlining the pros and cons of continuing to produce the penny.
fun ideas for celebrating National One Cent day:
- Make a penny museum. Collect pennies from all over the country and display them in a museum-like setting. You can also create labels for each penny, explaining its significance.
- Have a penny toss. Line up the kids and have them toss pennies into a jar or bucket. The kid with the most pennies in the jar at the end of the game wins a prize.
- Make a penny mosaic. Use pennies to create a mosaic picture. You can either glue the pennies down or use a penny board to hold them in place.
- Have a penny scavenger hunt. Hide pennies around the house or yard and have the kids find them. The kid who finds the most pennies wins a prize.
- Make penny jewelry. Use pennies to make jewelry, such as necklaces, bracelets, and earrings. You can either glue the pennies down or use a penny board to hold them in place.
Some fun books that would make a great Read on a day like today:
Happy Hive Homeschooling put together a collection of the BEST penny quotes in 3 different styles: Trace, Print, and Cursive for your copywork pleasure. There are 7 different quotes in this collection and on the last page of the packet you can research the famous people in history credited with their wisdom by scanning the QR codes.
More ways to Celebrate National One Cent Day:
- When you go out today, leave pennies for people to find (Leave them heads up for luck!)
- Examine your pennies and sort them from oldest to most modern. Look at the variations in design.
- Roll your pennies and deposit them in the bank, or take them to the “Dollar Store” to spend.
- Conduct a Penny Experiment by soaking a few pennies in different solutions (water, soap, and water, salt and vinegar) Be sure to record your observations!
- Make a boat out of a sheet of aluminum foil. See how many pennies it takes to sink the boat. As a challenge, predict the number before you begin.
Fun Penny Activities
Make a Penny Boat
Gather all the pennies you can find.
1 – 12 inch square of aluminum foil
a large bowl, or bin for water.
Use the 12 inch foil to make a tin foil boat. Float the boat in the water. Predict how many pennies you can put in the boat before it will sink… add pennies until your boat sinks!
You can build different boats to see if the style makes a difference!
Can’t celebrate this year – Mark your calendar & save this holiday for next year!
You can also pin the image below to your Pinterest boards to save this fantastic holiday!
