Our Pen-Pal Wall
Back in April, when school was celebrating children around the world, it struck me that reaching out to other children would be a wonderful thing to do. We could write letters, send cards, get to know each other. We could become Pen-Pals.
I emailed fellow preschool teachers - Beth in Michigan and Ritu in Kent, U.K.
My goodness, they were as excited as I was. The children were, too. We wrote cards with pictures and words, straight from the heart. It was days of work, swinging from fun to serious. Children wanted to make beautiful pictures, and they wanted to write words to other children. This was a big deal. Writing is hard for preschoolers, yet wanting something makes the hard much easier.
Michigan is 720 miles away. Beth's students replied with a flood of cards and Eric Carle cut-outs. We were on our way with Pen-Pals! Here is my post on Beth's cards:
https://jenniefitzkee.com/2022/05/06/pen-pal-cards-arrived/
Of course we wrote a giant thank you letter.
Giving is receiving and giving again. It's a wonderful cycle. The detail in the drawing is incredible. Children are saying beautiful things in their own way.
Kent in the UK is 3,311 miles away, and it's on the other side of the ocean. We pulled our Big Book Atlas to find England. When we mailed our cards, it was exciting, because we had Pen-Pals in another country. Their cards to us arrived, and children were thrilled!
We immediately wrote a think you letter to the children, our new Pen-Pals.
Note the detailed illustrations, yet another validation of the love and importance of these Pen-Pals. Their drawings are screaming words from the heart. Really.
Beth's class got our thank you letter and they replied!
Times may have changed, but children have not. Making friends is universal, and Pen-Pals have been around a long time. I'm so glad my students became Pen-Pals with children in Michigan and the U.K.
Jennie
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