The first of my never ending visitors showed up today

[lovemygoofy]

His name is Flat Stanley. I have no idea what the heck I am supposed to do with it. It came with a note that says take it with us and "dress" it appropriately for outings. Now I'm not a genius but I'm thinking a flat piece of paper that is already colored can't really be dressed. Should I be making it paper doll clothes?

Am I supposed to take it to the sites of the town and take the picture with it? The mom of the child that mailed it was no help. She didn't even know what I was talking about. Any insight into my newest visitor would be quite helpful.


Personally, I'd rather just keep Flat Stanley considering my MIL is coming in two weeks. He doesn't take up any room and doesn't make any noise. The best house guest I'll ever have.

 

[java]

Ah Flat Stanley!

Yes your role as his landlord for a while is to take him out and snap photos of him in various "attractions" in your area.
As for the dressing- if it's hot- make a little paper bathing suit? We got our Stanley from my goddaughter and we went all out. Flat Stanley set up a facebook page from our home computer! And met other Flat Friends that we made (I have kids though so it was really a way to keep them interested)

I think you could just take him out take a few photos- write a little journal entry about your area and send him on to someone else.

 

[daisyduck123]

When my DS sent my SIL (lives in California) his Flat Stanley, she made an entire video of him at all of the popular Hollywood tourist spots. She works in tv production, so she had all the cool equipment to make the video. She mailed it back, along with Flat Stanley, & the class thought it was the biggest hit!

Have fun with him!

 

[Mom-to-2-Princesses]

Java is right -- if you have any "landmarks" or cool things nearby try to take pics of him there. The kids are really excited when Flat Stanley comes back with his pictures. You will make that child very happy!

And I agree, I would take Flat Stanley over in-laws ANY day of the week!

 

[lovemygoofy]

Okay so my bff's son is in 3rd grade. I'm trying to think of grade/age appropriate things that would interest them. I have Lincoln, White House, National Mall/Capital and my husband is taken him to the Pentagon to meet someone important though I don't know that the kids will know what the Pentagon is.


I guess I'm trying to think of fun things that will keep the kid's interest. My bff's son was the only one that knew someone that lived out of the state so he is getting major cool points for his Stanley.

 

[Mom-to-2-Princesses]

3rd graders should know those places. I subbed in the 2nd grade room last week and the Social Studies unit was on the Nation's Capital. And don't discount the importance of the National Treasure Movies! That's what got my girls involved in our Nation's landmarks. Whatever works!

You live in a GREAT area for a Flat Stanley visit!!

 

[4nana]

On Tina my friend, your Flat Stanley is going to be such fun to follow and liven this place up!!

Who was the Dis'ner that sent her hubby a Mickey in Iraq and he posted all sorts of troop and scenery pix for us to follow on the Dis...anyone remember?

The kids gave me a tiny good luck teddybear I call 'SoA' for Spirit of America as he's a very patrotic. He's traveled oh so many places....
but shamefully in the buff, I don't dress him!?!?

 

[Mary•Poppins]

I am a teacher and have sent Flat Stanley out ...

You just need to take some pictures of attractions in your area with Stanley. My son just did this last year and somehow his teacher had Flat Stanley sent to someone else after he visited with the first person. My son received items from India, Africa, England and Ireland. It was great! A lot of times the "sender" sent a small trinket of something important to that area.

My grade level would put up 2 maps in the hall (a world map and one of the USA). The teachers would then post all the places Stanley visited.

A few years ago, we were in DC and a funny couple were in the middle of the mall trying to get a picture of Flat Stanley and the Washington Monument. The couple was trying really hard to position Stanley so that his hand was "touching" the point. It was really cute and funny. Many people were looking ... but I think I was the only person who knew what was going on!

 

[Mickey's Minion]

My cousin's son did this a few years ago. We have family all over the world, so my cousin scanned in the original Flat Stanly that her son had colored and then sent a PDF file to all of us. We cut him out and off we went.

I took him to all the local tourist attractions and snapped pictures. I also included tourist pamphlets for every place we visited. That Flat Stanly (and all his clones) was a very well traveled chap by the time the three weeks were up.

 

[kidzmom3]

my daughter sent hers to a family friend in Arizona. They took pictures of him sitting on a cactus, in the desert, they both took him to work. Picture of him at the computer. At a really pretty botanical garden. On a bus. Can't think of anything else right now. They did skip the dressing him part.



lots of ideas:
http://www.flatstanleyproject.net/

 

[mlynn]

Loved my daughter Flat Stanley project.(I think more than she did)

Just take him to a few places around your area take pictures.
Write up a little history. Temp when he was there.Stuff like that. Maybe send some brochures of some of the place too.

 

[4greatboys]

My youngest sons class is doing Flat Stanley right now. We sent him to my niece who is off at college. I hope he didn't go to to many wild college parties

 

[funkychunkymonkey]

Just be glad its flat stanly! Our class had Moo man (a mini cow) and now monkey (see my picture). Neither were flat.

 

[Luv Bunnies]

Our kids do this in 5th grade when they're studying US history except they send out Flat Franklin (Ben Franklin). Each family send out the first one with a letter from the teacher instructing the receipient to send the class a postcard from their city. Some people only send the postcard. Others do a more elaborate photo session with Franklin in their city. A few years ago, I took Franklin on a trip to Las Vegas. I had him playing the slots, strategically placed in front of a statue at Casears (to cover a "certain" spot). I even had a Blue Man hold him up after their show!

My younger son is now in 5th grade. The Franklins in his class have been out for months and are slated to return anytime now. We sent it to my brother in law in Colorado who forwarded it to relatives in Louisiana. They sent it to the daughter at Mississippi State. I don't know where it ended up from there.

It's really a good way for kids to learn about the United States and they are thrilled when the teacher tells them they received a postcard!

 

[traviesojmt]

Just the name Flat Stanley makes me laugh. My DD6, 1st grade, sent her Flat Lauren (she made a girl and named it for herself) to my DH in Iraq. I then get a skype with a "what in the heck do you want me to do with this thing?" At least my DH emailed me the pictures before he sent them to her class. I wasn't so sure that Flat Lauren in the bunker was a really good idea. I wasn't sure how many questions about why Flat Lauren would be in a bunker that I really wanted to answer. My husband told them it was a sandbag fort. It did do my heart good imagining my DH having to ask other airmen to take pictures of him and this little paper doll. LOL To be honest, he didn't give Flat Lauren has much attention as he could have, but he did send the class Iraqi kit kats to make up for it.

 

[funkychunkymonkey]

our class monkey is going to iraq next month. A freind of mine is over there and volentered to "baby sit".

 

[Feralpeg]

A few months ago, I took Flat Stanley on a tour of WDW. He went with me to all of the theme parks and to Downtown Disney. He got to have his picture taken with Minnie, Donald, Jasmine and several other characters. He enjoyed having his picture taken inside rides and just walking around. All in all, he had just under 200 pictures of his adventure. We had a blast together and got many wonderful comments from guests and cast members. It's amazing how Flat Stanley gets around!

The young man who asked me to escort Flat Stanley was very happy with the results.

 

[kellydizfan]

My DS's 3rd grade class did this back last October. He sent it off to my Brother & Sister-in-law and Flat Stanley went to Boston with my DB and DN for a day and they took all kinds of pictures. Then they sent it to friends of theirs. I think he went to three different places and he also went Pumpkin picking. When we went to school for openhouse, their Flat Stanleys went all over the world - India I think and also Japan. It was really neat to see. What a creative idea.

 

[pirateofthecarolinas]

My DS7 sent his to Phoenix to visit my sister. She took FS to Univ. of Southern Cal. to visit her son. FS came back with some pictures of him drinking beer with my nephew and his roommates. One roommate was from India and he was quite curious about FS.

She also included a petting cactus, prickly pear cactus candy (big hit), postcards of AZ animals and a scorpion paperweight (kids here had never seen a real one). My DS7 said she included a letter with all of FS's adventures in the wild, wild, west.

Lori

 

[Mkrop]

Our Flat Stanley had to do stuff with the family first before he we went off on his adventures. So he went to soccer, Kmart and sat in the cart, got a haircut, went to the hardware store and sat on a tractor, and then went and hit golf balls at the range. And dinner out where he got ot sit at the bar for a few moments and watch a game. A typical weekend around here.

Then he went off to Tampa to visit my aunt. She did not have time to go to the sites of Tampa but did some fun things, he picked my uncle up at the airport. She is a guidance counselor so he went and visited a second grade class at her school, and they happened to have a helicopter come that day so he got to sit in that. Then he went to a Boy Scout Camp that her and her family was helping at and got to wear a scarf.

DS12 at the time loved it. I hopet hey do it again next year for DS7.

In 4th grade they sent a flat bear and people had to write about where they live and send it on to someone else. I did not tell DS but I cheated and sent him to people I knew and they sent it to whoever I told them to. I did this bc kids in previous years never got them back and were so upset. A mom who had been through it before gave me that advice.


Tina I think the Pentagon is a great idea.