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Just For Kids! h.i.p. pocket change
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Help Using This Site

What can I find on the site?

Plinky Reading A Map

The United States Mint H.I.P. Pocket Change™ Web site has seven areas:  Games, Toons, Coins and Medals, Coin News, Collectors Club, Mint History, and About this Site.  You get to them by clicking on the coin icons lined up on the left side of each page.

You can use the Kids Guide to see lots of the site's features at once, and find out what each one is like.  You can also get to the features through the site map, but here is a brief description of what each section has to offer:

  • Games.  Here you'll find activities ranging from simple coloring pages to challenging puzzles.  Put real coins together, make up your own, play games of skill or words or just plain fun.
  • Toons.  You can join the Pals as they learn about coins from other countries and how coins are made, plus download screensavers and travel in the Time Machine."
  • Coins and Medals.  This section has tons of information about everyday coins, special coins, medals, and the coin-making process.  This is where to find out about current and past coin series like the 50 State Quarters® Program.
  • Coin News.  This section is dedicated to all that is newsworthy in the world of coins.  There's a quarterly newsletter, a coin story each month, and lots more!
  • Collectors Club.  Feel stumped about the mysteries of coin collecting?  Inspector Collector is just the badger to lead you to the solutions!  There's a special section for boy scouts, too.
  • Mint History.  Explore the United States Mint through its history, especially the buildings where the business of coinage goes on still.  Tantalizing trivia too!
  • About This Site.  Lots of good background information here, as well as how to use the site.  Find out where H.I.P. Pocket Change came from, where it can take you, and how you can get there.

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How do I move around the site?

Getting Around...

site logo
To go back to the home page at any time, click on Flip in the upper left corner.

sample view of site page
The text menu at the bottom of every page has a link to the site map

There are many ways you can move through the H.I.P. Pocket Change Web site.  You can always try moving your mouse over a word or an image.  If the arrow changes to a pointing finger, that means you've found a "clickable" hot spot.  Here are some to try:

  • Home:  No matter where you are on the site, you can return to the home page by clicking on Flip the Mint Seal in the upper left corner of the screen...or on "h.i.p. pocket change" in the text menu at the bottom of the screen.
  • Areas:  On the left side of every page, you'll see a row of coin icons.  You can visit any of the seven areas by clicking its coin in this coin menu.  For example, clicking the "Games" coin brings you to the Games page.  You can also click an item in the text menu at the bottom of each page.
  • Site map:  Clicking site map in the bottom text menu will take you to a listing of all the pages on the site.  Once on the site map page, clicking on an activity's name will usually take you to that activity.
  • Word links:  When you find a hot-linked word (in blue) within text on the site, clicking it will take you to the glossary for a definition of the linked word.
  • Image links:  Throughout the site, you'll also find image links.  Whenever you place your cursor on a picture or icon and the arrow becomes a pointing finger, that means the image is linked to another page.  For example, on the home page, you can click on one of the large pictures to go directly to the area the picture shows.

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What plug-ins do I need?

To play many of the H.I.P. Pocket Change games or see the cartoons or the site's new animated home page, you must have the free Adobe Flash Player installed on your computer.  You can download the latest version from the Adobe® Web site.

Some files (for example, some lesson plans and the coloring pages) are provided in .PDF format.  To use .PDF files, you need to have Adobe® Acrobat® Reader® installed on your machine.  If you need this software or an upgrade, you can download it for free from the Adobe® Web site.

Other documents on this site are provided in .RTF format.  To view these documents, you may need to install Word Viewer ® on your computer.  This program is available free at the Microsoft® Web site.

This site also works best if you have JavaScript enabled in your browser software (such as Internet Explorer or Netscape).  JavaScript is usually enabled unless someone has disabled it for your browser.  You can usually find instructions for enabling JavaScript in your version of the browser software on the software maker's Web site.

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How can I use PDF files?

Some files (for example, some lesson plans and the coloring pages) are provided in .PDF format.  To open .PDF files, you need Adobe® Acrobat® Reader® installed on your machine.  If you need this software or an upgrade, you can download it for free from the Adobe® Web site.

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Why can't I see an activity I chose?

Your computer may be using software that keeps new browser windows ("pop-ups") from opening.  Many of the site's games and cartoons use pop-up windows, and such software can stop these windows from opening.

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How do I search the site?

A "Search" box appears at the top of every page.  Type the word you want to search into the box and press the ENTER (or RETURN) key.  You'll get a list of pages that use that word and a short description of how it's used.  Click on the linked text to go to the page that's described.

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How can I contact H.I.P. Pocket Change?

You can contact us by email at teachersnetwork@usmint.treas.gov.

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