Put Your Stamp on Life

 People still write cards and letters, which they even mail – along with packages. And stamps have other uses too. Stamp out ignorance by doing these fun activities.

 

CONNECT:

• Watch why stamps were invented – and why collect them – at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C4UaYDxL3w8
• Get fun facts about US postage stamps from the source: at https://facts.usps.com/stamps/
• Explore stamp stories at https://postalmuseum.si.edu/stamp-stories

 

CREATE:

• Be crafty with these 25 stamp activities: https://www.playideas.com/25-super-crafty-diy-stamps-for-kids/
• It’s fun and games for all ages at the National Postal Museum; try some at https://postalmuseum.si.edu/fun-games
• Design your own postage stamps at https://www.pbssocal.org/education/family-math-activity-design-your-own-postage-stamps

 

CARE:

• Show you care by making and mailing cards for hospitalized kids or the elderly; get the details at https://www.doinggoodtogether.org/bhf/create-greeting-cards
• Sadly, some people sell fake stamps; get the lowdown at https://www.uspis.gov/news/scam-article/counterfeit-stamps
• Watch how people feed their families on a food stamp budget at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OXKkakwf6Vk

 

CAREERS:

• Want to be a mail career? Watch what they do at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mXfL1CdkGT4
• Working for the post office isn’t limited to walking around the neighborhood with letters. See the possibilities at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ddvVveMJ2mw
• Watch how stamps get designed at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eKh3lq6SV84
• OR you can do rubber stamping for fun and profit: https://www.musicalexpert.org/what-is-rubber-stamping.htm#:~:text=Rubber%20stamping%20has%20become%20more,only%20limited%20by%20your%20imagination

The Mail Must Go Through!

As we approach the holidays, we can expect more mail. How do we get that mail? It takes lots of people from creating to sending it. These activities will send you the message that mail is indeed important!

CONNECT:

• Read about the history and other facts about postage stamps at https://kids.kiddle.co/Postage_stamp
• Watch how the US Postal Service works at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WX16-52bHvg
• See how mail is delivered around the world at https://www.citipostmail.co.uk/blog/postal-delivery-across-the-world-overseas-mail-distribution/
• Learn about the surprising short history of the Pony Express at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3vrzi-BEjWs

CREATE:

• Make your own postcard and do other related activities at http://www.readwritethink.org/classroom-resources/student-interactives/postcard-creator-30061.html
• Create personalized postage stamps with these vendors approved by the US Post Office: https://www.usps.com/ship/custom-mail-stamps.htm
• Collecting postage stamps can be fun and rewarding. Get started at https://www.ducksters.com/hobbies/stampcollecting.php
• Play post office following the visual directions at https://teachingmama.org/post-office-dramatic-play/

CARE:

• For this upcoming holiday season, make thank your cards with these inspirations: https://www.thesprucecrafts.com/easy-diy-thank-you-cards-4114929
• Watch how to wrap packages for the Post Office: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GZU2U_bUzpg
• Try these cool stationary-related ideas as a family activity to keep supplies handy  -- or to give them as gifts: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8hv9nFNd4hM
• Here are some tips for safe, kid-friendly email: https://www.pcworld.com/article/153381/safe_kids_email.html

CAREERS:

Mail is an international communication channel – and career. From creating careers to mailing and delivering mail. See the possibilities here.

https://about.usps.com/careers/

https://study.com/articles/Mail_Handler_Career_Info_and_Requirements_for_Becoming_a_Mail_Handler.html

https://www.monster.com/career-advice/article/how-to-become-greeting-card-writer-hallmark

The Mail Must Go Through

Even in the digital age, people around the world send and receive mail. Find out its history and current activities.

CONNECT:

• See the first postage stamp in the world (issued in 1840) and other expensive stamps at http://www.2-clicks-stamps.com/article/rare-postage-stamps.html
• Scented postage stamps? Stamps made from fabric? Glow in the dark stamps? Look at these unusual stamps from around the world: http://www.darkroastedblend.com/2010/05/peculiar-postage-unusual-stamps-from.html
• See the US postal service at work: http://thekidshouldseethis.com/post/united-states-postal-service-systems-at-work
• This site tells the story of Miss Clara Breed, a librarian who used the mail to keep in close contact with the Japanese American students who were taken to the internment camps. Includes transcripts of 17 letters, photos, and information on post offices in the camps: http://www.smithsonianeducation.org/educators/lesson_plans/japanese_internment/stamps
• How are stamps designed? Watch the process at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KETwb4MLKVI
• Explore 10 interesting facts about the short-lived pony express mail service that helped transform the American West: http://www.history.com/news/history-lists/10-things-you-may-not-know-about-the-pony-express

CREATE:

• Explore these education kits from the US Postal Service: https://about.usps.com/corporate-social-responsibility/education-kits.htm
• Stamp collecting helps instruct the collector in geography, biography, history, culture and art. Stamps are miniature gateways to the world. See that world at http://arago.si.edu/category_2027477.html
• The Postal Service welcomes written suggestions for stamp subjects that help portray the diversity of the American experience for a worldwide audience. Submit your idea following the directions at https://about.usps.com/who-we-are/csac/process.htm

CARE:

• Send free online greetings and gifts that support wildlife and the environment: http://www.e-cards.com/
• In the past, children could be mailed. Read about some of these real-life deliveries: http://postalmuseumblog.si.edu/2013/02/very-special-deliveries.html
• Join the National Postal Museum in creating a comprehensive history of America’s post and people: http://memorybook.si.edu/

CAREERS:

Mail service is an important communications career. Here are some details.

http://www.federaljobs.net/psclerks.htm

http://www.bls.gov/ooh/office-and-administrative-support/postal-service-workers.htm