Using traditional counting blocks, Randall Munroe of xkcd shows the cost of “everything.” He has cleverly compared all kinds of things using these blocks in a visually alluring way. It is divided into sections based on financial amounts, from dollars (below $1000) to trillions of dollars.
He compares a large variety of things, including the cost of cars and entertainment trivia such as the price of a superbowl ad. This will be a very useful infographic for use in the classroom to show students the difference between numbers. It could also be used for research during an economics exercise.
I would also encourage you to create one of your own in your classroom. You can compare the price of various school supplies at various stores, food items, or video games. The students can then add blocks based on the price in order to have a visual representation of the prices.
Blog: http://goo.gl/kSlcW
Infographic: http://xkcd.com/980/