Who is Flat Stanley? Well, only the flattest and coolest boy in town! If you have not heard of Flat Stanley, then you must rush to the nearest book store or go online to see the books about him for yourself. Here are a few:
QUICK BOOK REVIEW: My son has thoroughly enjoyed reading these books! They hold adventure, a touch of mystery, and are downright funny. As a parent, I enjoy these books because they are a “safe read.” I love the fact that although these books are fiction, they have many scientific, historical, and geographical references in them. These books are a quick read for my 10 year old, but sometimes quick reads are what he needs to keep interest in a topic. These books also are great to add to many topic studies at home or in the classroom. Visit the Flat Stanley Website to find out more about these great books.
I first heard of the Flat Stanley Project while teaching fourth grade a few years ago. Being one who loved to encourage children to read, I immediately started doing this project in my own class. It was a hit with the children!
When I began homeschooling, I decided to start doing this project with my son. We made a binder to keep all of Stanley’s pictures and information about each trip he took. Here are some sample pages from his binder:
We included the following items:
- United States Map–each state is colored once Stanley has taken a trip there.
- Dividers–to separate each state’s/country’s information
- State Coloring pages (Free Download)
- State and Country Fact sheets (Free Download)
- Flat Stanley Journal and Activities (Free download)
**Note: We printed the Flat Stanley from here Flat Stanley printable .
I had my son type of a letter explaining what he was sending and how to help Stanley have an adventure. Of course, I usually asked those he wanted to mail it to if they wanted to participate first. Then, after Flat Stanley was printed, cut out, colored, and laminated (best if sending it to several places), we mailed him off in a large manilla envelope with the journal page and letter of explanation to the awaiting friend. Sometimes, friends who were going out of the country or even on vacation in the U.S., offered to take Stanley with them on their trips and sent back photos of him at different locations. Below are some of the places he has visited so far: (Note: My son made about six different Stanley’s and sent them out at different times.)
This is such a fun project! In fact, we started this project last year, and are still working on it. I must say, that I enjoy seeing where Stanley goes as much as my son does!
Let me know in the comments if your family has ever done this project, are doing it now, or will be doing it in the near future.
