As children, many of us have wished we could simply stick a stamp on our shoulder and mail ourselves to somewhere far away and full of adventure. Now that we’re all grown up, sometimes we still wish that we could travel by mail, although the motivation has likely changed to one of skipping long lines at the airport. While we may not be able to simply slap on a stamp and magically appear half-way around the world, there is a very lucky young man who can: Flat Stanley.
For those who haven’t heard of him, Flat Stanley is a very special friend who travels the world via plane, train, or envelope, teaching youngsters while travelling across the globe. Started in 1995 by a schoolteacher from London, Ontario, the official “Flat Stanley Project” aims to promote literacy through the novel idea of mailing a paper cutout known as Flat Stanly to pen-pals the world over. After Flat Stanley has been mailed, his recipient keeps Stanley on hand for a few days, documenting his or her day to day routine with Flat Stanley by their side, then mailing Flat Stanley on to continue his travels. As students communicate with their peers thousands of miles away, they keep track of Flat Stanley’s travels on a map, write their friends about his latest adventures, and exchange postcards and photos from his travels; thus fostering a variety of essential skills, from reading and writing to geographical and cultural education, in a fun and exciting way.
As times and communication methods have changed, so too have Flat Stanley’s method of travel. No longer are our children and grandchildren constrained to simply sending him through postal mail; with the advent of the internet Flat Stanley can now travel via email, be followed on Facebook, and even share his travels instantly through his very own iPhone app!
At Sakamoto Properties, we were honored by 2nd grader Michael Sherlock who sent us his very own Flat Stanley from the mainland, After making the long trip across the ocean to Maui, we gave Flat Stanley a very warm welcome to Hawaii, showed him around our wonderful Kapalua home, and introduced him to the rest of Maui on our radio show: Betty’s Real Estate Corner. Suffice it to say, Flat Stanley loved his relaxing vacation on Maui, and is now off to enjoy more adventures across the world!
If you would like more information on this fantastically innovative learning project, visit the Flat Stanley Project Website, and check out his recent appearance on Betty’s Real Estate Corner:
