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

Yahoo for Cowboys!

 Cowboys are often associated with the Wild West of the U.S. But they have a longer and more universal history. Gallop to these activities that will rope in your interest.

CONNECT:

• Watch a kid’s history of the American cowboy at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Jq1J8DHgrJo
• Cowboy’s aren’t just history; here are 15 places in the U.S. where cowboy culture is alive and well: https://www.wideopencountry.com/11-places-us-cowboy-culture-alive-well/
• Cowboys in Australia? In Hawaii? In Hungary? They may have other names but they still tend cattle or horses. Explore them at http://horsehints.org/IndexCowboys.htm
• What’s the life of a modern cowgirl? See the answer at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r6uFHzDnkAY

CREATE:

• Learn how to do roping by watching this pro: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H2REsVGanRw
• Giddyup for the kid-friendly wild west activities, including party ideas: https://www.kidactivities.net/wild-west-activities-for-kids-page-1/
• Play cowboy games at https://kids.lovetoknow.com/wiki/Cowboy_Games_for_Children
• Read these horse book reviews – and then read the book: https://www.equisearch.com/discoverhorses/for-kids

CARE:

• How do you care for horses? Learn the basics at https://www.smartpakequine.com/content/basic-horse-care
• Get reviews about family-friendly Westerns at https://www.commonsensemedia.org/reviews/category/movie/genre/western-4568
• Read how to care for cowboy boots at https://harleydavidsonboots.weebly.com/index.html (the directions are for parents, but they can teach their children how to care for them themselves).
• Discover how the Seagoing Cowboys participated in the Heifer Project, which donated cows to post World War II Italian families: https://seagoingcowboysblog.wordpress.com/category/heifer-project/

CAREERS:

Yep, you can still be a cowboy – as well as support cowboys by raising horses, making and selling cowboy gear and tools, being a cowboy historian, planning rodeos and even clowning around.  Yeehah!

https://www.work-for-rvers-and-campers.com/rodeo-jobs.html

https://www.jobmonkey.com/uniquejobs4/rodeo-clown/

https://www.standard.net/news/local/rodeo-cowboy-a-thrilling-but-dangerous-expensive-career/article_f0daab72-6092-5dc6-8efb-9cfb45cbe09c.html

https://www.horsejournals.com/life-horses/horses-jobs-rodeo-pick-horses

https://www.thebalancecareers.com/careers-with-horses-125742

Hats Off To Hats!

Hats can keep us warm and dry – and they can denote status as well as just be a fun thing to wear. Wrap your head around these online activities about hats. I’ll tip my hat to you.

CONNECT:

• Travel through 100 years of fashionable hats, for both him and her at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sqdTxWbtra4
• Who do so many religions have headwear? See the reasons at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=meZLctPgV88
• Hats off to the beret! Watch how they are made at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zQkYriD97Co

CREATE:

• Hats are fun to make as well as to wear: be a sailor, a bunny, and dragon – they are all possible as hats – and there are even more hat ideas. Just follow the directions at https://redtri.com/simple-and-fun-hat-crafts/slide/2
• And you thought paper plates were just for eating on… You can make hats for several holidays. See how at https://alphamom.com/family-fun/holidays/diy-holiday-hats-for-every-occasion/
• Let’s party with hat party games at https://www.kids-partycabin.com/kids-hat-party-games.html

CARE:

• Sunscreen doesn’t protect you completely from the sun – even better is wearing a hat. Find out why at https://www.sunsafetyforkids.org/sunprotection/hats/
• Why do you need to wear a hat when it’s cold outside? Harvard Medical School tells you at https://www.health.harvard.edu/staying-healthy/cold-out-why-you-need-to-wear-a-hat
• Make a hat-themed game for a friend. Here are some great facts and pictures to use: https://kids.kiddle.co/Hat

CAREERS:

Use your head to make a career out of hats: in fashion design, manufacturing, sales, and event planning.

https://www.careerigniter.com/careers/milliner/

https://www.careershifters.org/success-stories/from-fashion-to-millinery

https://blog.printsome.com/best-event-planning-jobs/

And many jobs require hats: firemen, police, cowboys, cooks, athletics – what are some other jobs where you need to where a hat?