Snack machines
For the grown-up beside a child who loves snack machines.
The child's own door is Snack machines on Spark & Anvil.
At the event
Three numbers to notice
- The price on the button, and the coins the machine takes.
- What one sale leaves once the snack itself is paid for.
- How many sales it takes to pay for the spot the machine stands in.
On the way home, ask: “What do you think the machine has to remember to give the right change?”
Ask because you are curious, and let any answer stand. Print this page for a half-page card.
A short course for you
A little history, and what nobody knows
The first machine
The first known vending machine was described by Hero of Alexandria in the first century AD: a coin dropped in released a measured amount of holy water.
Whether his machine was ever built and used in a temple is not known.
Source: Vending machine (Wikipedia)
The same idea at every age
- Ages 3–5One Coin, One Snack
- Ages 6–8Exact Change Only and 1 more
- Ages 9–14The Machine’s Memory and 2 more
- Ages 15–18Stock the Slot and 2 more
Your child will meet this idea again at every age. The tools and courses here are the part for you.