Shiny Pennies

I knew that several of my students had polished pennies with vinegar in PreK.  Not wanting to duplicate that experiment, I provided ketchup, toothpaste, and diet coke for our grimy pennies!

The results were impressive!  The children commented on the reflection in this picture, attempting to guess which of them had polished the brightest penny. 
(Do we ever outgrow this tendency?!)

I regret to report that the diet coke, although not the most effective abrasive, did clean its share of coins.  Bummer!