BSP's Money Matter for Kids Exhibit - UPDATED

Andrea and I trekked over to Gateway mall to see Banko Sentral ng Pilipinas' roving exhibit called Money Matter for Kids. I have heard of this exhibit in the past but it was situated in Museong Pambata and that was just too far for us (considering I had to go to school myself after homeschooling). So imagine my delight when I saw them setting up in Gateway Mall.

So I asked my daughter to go on stage so I can take her photo
and this is her pose of choice

When Andrea and I got there, my expectations were at an all time low. The place was tiny and was a half-open space in the middle of the mall. I was sure we'd be in and out within 5-10 minutes so we registered and went in.

We had the kindest guide take us around the exhibit and she recommended we start with the history of money board:

Here she is reading the display. Please don't judge
the mismatched clothes, she insisted on dressing herself.

A lot of the written things are a bit too complex for young kids but with parental supervision it is a good jump off point for parents to start talking about money. I simplified some concepts for Andrea.

We then headed to this cool activity where the kids are given paper and asked to shade the paper to reveal the picture of the coin under it.

The exhibit featured various old coins which kids nowadays
haven't seen.

The part I thought would excite her the most was the giant money puzzle.

She did enjoy it, but I think it was too simple for her. 

(Addendum from Andrea - Andrea: It wasn't too simple for me. I just did it fast because the instructions said that the time would run out)
There were lots of photo ops here!

There are also opportunities to learn about the various currencies from different countries.

And a place to learn about ATMs.

The furrowed brows means she is concentrating on
reading the instructions on the ATM. She was a bit
disappointed when no money came out...to be honest so
was I! ;p

The best and most exciting part for Andrea was the shopping area. Here, the kids are given various shopping lists and a budget. They are to find things in the list but have to make sure they stay within budget. They have their own calculator where they can check and see how they're doing and at the end of everything they need to go to the check out counter where they themselves will be the cashiers.

ANDREA HAD A BLAST!! She loved it so much that she and her dad are planning a return trip soon. The exhibit runs till Aug 17 so do try to check it out if you have big kids. =)
(Addendum from Andrea -- Andrea: I really did have a blast!)