Stamps and postcards
 While designing their own stamps and postcards, students discuss letter writing and mail services.

You will need:

  • A variety of crayons/color pencils.
  • White sheets of paper (8.5"x11").
  • Scalloped craft scissors.
  • Large index cards.
Suggested vocabulary:

(various colors)  paper  draw  color (verb)  cut  scissors  stamp  value  country  image  shape  mail  post office  cancel  envelope  postcard  lick self-stick  mailman  mailbox  letter  adress  zip code  city  state  number (various numbers)

Instructions:

  Work in groups. Each group picks a theme/country, and designs stamps for that country, assigning them different values. Students color the stamps, cut them out with scalloped craft scissors, and discuss them with the class. The class talks about letter-writing and mailing issues.

Students design postcards and "send" them to each another.
 

Here is a link to sample stamps designed for a similar activity.
 
  Suggested links for additional ideas:
  • Discover France (and other countries) through postage stamps.
    This site illustrates French stamps (arranged by region and department) and provides lots of historical and tourist information about the sites and monuments they portray. Visit France without ever leaving home. There is a separate page of recently-issued stamps as well as links to other sites of interest to stamp collectors.

  • Birds of the World Postage Stamps.
    This is an impressive collection of photos of stamps that may be accessed by country. There are also pages of recent additions and new and future issues.

  • Penlandia.
    This is the Web page of the artist Jean Wall Penland, who will commemorate all your special occasions with hand-made postage stamps. Students may enjoy making their own.

  • Philatelic Mineralogy from Around the World.
    Gem, rock, and mineral postage stamps arranged by country or mineral name.

  • Baseball on Stamps.
    Ed Stephan's visual account of stamps depicting baseball.

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