His name is Stanley. He is flat. One night his bulletin board fell on him while he was asleep and flattened him. But being flat does have its advantages. Flat Stanley can fit in places other people can not; he can retrieve his mother's ring from beneath a grate and pose as a wall painting to catch thieves in a museum. But the greatest thing about being flat is that Stanley can travel all over the world through the mail. When Stanley did not have enough money for an airline ticket to visit a friend in California, his family decided to mail him there instead. From then on, traveling has become his favorite thing.
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Mrs. Burke's
first grade class at Myford Elementary School in Irvine, California, in
front of their Flat Stanley map.
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During the course of his travels, Flat Stanley visited the Franklin D. Roosevelt Presidential Library and Museum. Mrs. Burke's first grade class at Myford Elementary School in Irvine, California, mailed Flat Stanley to the Library so that they could learn more about FDR. Mrs. Burke's class is just one of the many classes that participate in the Flat Stanley Project . Conceived by Canadian third grade teacher Dale Hubert, the Flat Stanley Project uses the main character of Jeff Brown's 1964 children's book Flat Stanley to teach students geography, culture, and language skills. Students give or send Flat Stanley paper dolls to friends, relatives, public figures, celebrities and others, and whoever receives Flat Stanley is asked to chronicle his visit through photographs and a journal. Flat Stanley has been seen with Presidents of the United States, appeared on television, and traveled all over the world. Mrs. Burke's class sent out 140 Flat Stanleys and kept track on his travels on three maps (California, the United States, and the World) in their classroom. The students calculate how far Stanley has traveled and gather to hear about his adventures. "It is like 'Christmas' each day when we receive a new letter," explains Mrs. Burke. "The class is completely silent as we open the envelopes. It is very exciting "!
Flat Stanley returned from the FDR Library with a new FDR Library pin for his shirt and FDR Library pencils for Mrs. Burke's students. In his journal Flat Stanley explained the interesting things he learned about Franklin Roosevelt and displayed photographs of his visit. He sat at President Roosevelt's White House desk, saw the President's car and home, and even met cadets from the West Point Military Academy. It was certainly an exciting week for both Flat Stanley and the Roosevelt Library!
Click on the pictures to see Flat Stanley's adventures at the FDR Library!
