Who doesn’t love money? Even kids know the importance of it. Without it, there will be no new, shiny toys.
One of the ways to teach children about money is to tell them about the history of the most sought after stuff in the world.
What better way to do this than to bring them to the very institution that prints money: the central bank.
I did not know about it until recently that Bank Negara Malaysia, the central bank of Malaysia, has its own museum and art gallery.
I quickly jumped at the opportunity to bring J and K (and their 2 other friends) to Bank Negara Malaysia Museum and Art Gallery (BNMMAG) this Tuesday.
For the kids, I wanted to bring them to the galleries about money.
For me, I wanted to visit galleries about art.
The impressive-looking with floor-to-ceiling windows building houses 4 floors of museums and galleries. For a start, parents should take children to a museum which is designed especially for them and it’s aptly called “Children’s Gallery.”
It’s located on the Ground Floor, hidden behind Museum Shop. At the entrance, one will be shocked to see thousands of paper notes, old and new, form the wall of a tunnel. I wish I could break the wall as I was told it has one million ringgit worth of money in there. This section introduces to children the roles of money.
If you want to teach your kids about the role of BNM, feel free to visit Bank Negara Malaysia Gallery on Level 1. To teach kids about the history of money of various countries, bring them to Numismatics Gallery on Level 2.
Other galleries include Islamic Finance Gallery and Economics Gallery on Level 1. For art exhibition, it’s located on Level 2 as well as Level 3.
At the moment, artworks on display are Yusof Ghani’s Ombak Series. There are some selected artworks that are from BNM collection which are on display on Level 3.
At a leisurely pace, you can spend one whole day at BNMMAG. And if you are hungry, there’s a cafe located on the ground floor to kill your hunger. The food (mainly sandwiches, pasta and pastries) served there is not fantastic but the prices are reasonably cheap. Plus, there’s a 23% (please don’t ask me how they came up with this figure) discount for students.
Bank Negara Malaysia Museum and Art Gallery
Address: Sasana Kijang, Jalan Dato’ Onn, 50480 Kuala Lumpur
Website: http://www.museumbnm.gov.my/
Telephone: +603-9179 2784
Email: infomuseum@bnm.gov.my
Operating Hours: Open daily from 10am to 6pm, closed on first 3 days of Hari Raya Aidilfitri
Entrance fee: Free
Parking: RM3 per entry (Look for Section B for visitors)
