The Old Schoolhouse - March 2012

students are studying a foreign country or language, setting up a Stanley pen pal with someone in that country would provide an opportunity to learn more from someone who actually lives there.

• Contact a homeschool group in
another region.

As a family or as a homeschool group, you may want to contact homeschoolers across the country (through various homeschool groups or organizations) to participate in the pen pal exchange. ;e Old Schoolhouse® Magazine Facebook page would be a great way to locate another homeschool family who would be interested in participating in the project.

Children can learn about the world around them through the Flat Stanley pen pal exchange. Students can mail Stanley to host families all across the world to learn more about national landmarks, culture, climate, and so much more. Here, Stanley is pictured on a recent visit to the Liberty Bell in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.

5. Contact a potential pen pal, make arrangements for the Flat Stanley exchange, and begin correspondence. ;ere are a number of ways to begin the pen pal exchange:

• Register on the Flat Stanley website.

Many participants enjoy signing up with www.; atstanley.com to register their projects and share them with others who are working on similar projects. I recommend that copies of Stanley be made any time you plan to submit him to another person, because he may get lost.

If you register within the o;cial program, you can select the area you want to send him to, based on which geographical region you want your child to study. If the

• Recruit distant family members and
friends as pen pals.

Some families are blessed to have family members and friends who live all over the world. Willing relatives and friends can document life in their area by hosting Flat Stanley for a visit. We had the opportunity to learn more about Philadelphia through a family member who had moved to that area. As she traveled the area, she took pictures of Stanley at various national landmarks and sent pictures back to us.

Another family visited Mexico and documented Stanley’s adventures as he sailed to that country. In both instances, the families kept Stanley to join them on future adventures, but they mailed back postcards from those regions as they traveled. ;is was a unique addition to the program, and we loved it.

• Take Stanley with you as you travel. As you travel, take Stanley along. You can take his picture at the various sites and prepare journal articles or reports based on your adventures. Having students document their observations through the eyes of Stanley is a fun way to get them to study things around them.

Dale Hubert (top), creator of the Flat Stanley Project, has had support for his project from notable people such as President Barack Obama, actor Clint Eastwood, autism advocate and celebrity Temple Grandin, and Mount Everest expedition members.