16) Inspiration: Snail Mail

At 1 and 3 both of my kids can use the iphone, ipad and computer better then I can. Mostly because that's what they know, their whole lives they have had using them. Their instincts to touch a screen, drag things and alter the size by pulling their fingers apart or together amazes me. The other day, I was looking at my phone after the Bean had been playing with it and I discovered she had taken screen shots. I had no idea how to take a screen shot and had to ask my husband. While there is a big part of me that is glad they get technology, because it will be a big part of their lives, there is another part of me that wishes for the days of letters, cash and checks. I have found it very hard to teach them about things like money, bills and correspondence without tangible objects. For example teaching kids about money is really hard when they only ever see you use a card. While I know my kids are going to grow up in a digital age, it is sometimes nice to go old school. To let them see that not all mail comes on the computer, that sometimes you have to wait for the mail to come and that getting a letter, postcard or package can be well worth the wait! With all the technology we have I think it is still important for kids to play things like store and post office so they can have those real life experiences. So, in order to encourage a little more snail mail play, this week my inspirations are all about playing mail, post office and some special deliveries:

Things to Make:
DIY Post Office Play Kit- From A Quirky Momma: Kids Activities Blog
A Special Delivery Fabric Bag and Letter- From Mermaids and Moss
Felt Envelopes and Stamps- From Lu Bird Baby
I finally had to recycle our Cardboard Mailbox a few weeks ago because of all the play it saw. We might have to make another one soon.

Things to Do:
Create a kid mail center- From Tinkerlab
Put a real mailbox in your house- From I Am Momma Hear Me Roar
Take a field trip to the post office, write a letter to a friend or join our postcard exchange.

Books To Read:
Seven Little Postman by Margaret Wise Brown and Edith Thatcher Hurd
Bunny Mail by Rosemary Wells