Sally is cast in a Christmas play!

Flat Sally was invited to play a small acting role! Our friend and newly retired drama professor Ivy Warinner is directing a play adaptation of "A Christmas Story," performed by the Shelby County Community Theater in Shelbyville, KY.

Mr. Ivy thought that Sally would enjoy playing the highly coveted role of a Christmas ornament during the play! She had to beat out a lot of other talent to get the role, but she remains as humble as ever. Here she is being put on the tree by one of the lead actors, Ralphie himself!

Great job, Sally! Don't shoot your eye out!

Stanley visits Lakewood Elementary!

Stanley had a blast last week with Mrs. Suzanne's sweet first grade class at Lakewood Elementary in Stephensburg, KY. (That's the town where I grew up!)

Hello, class! Can you find Stanley?

Flat Stanley had a wonderful time exploring the beautiful classroom and making lots of great friends. All of the kids were so friendly and welcoming!  He also got to meet another boy in the class who had the same name as himself: Stanley!

Flat Stanley loved every one of the kids in Mrs. Suzanne's class, and he made an extra special friend in his buddy/twin Stanley.

Thanks again, Mrs. Suzanne's class, for showing Flat Stanley such a good time!

Have Your Own Flat Stanley Adventure!

The kids and I have had a blast with our Flat Stanley Project this year! It's been the perfect supplement to our studies on U.S. history and the 50 States.

But we don't want to keep the fun all to ourselves! So, here is everything you need to create/send your own Flat Stanley (or Flat Sally) on an adventure across America!

Here is what you will need:

1) A printed/laminated Flat Stanley or Sally 
I recommend printing Stanley on cardstock and then laminating him for endurance - he starts to show wear after only a few trips! It also lets hosts tape/adhere paper clothing/accessories to him, heh heh

 

Here are PDF templates of Flat Stanley and Flat Sally! They fit perfectly in a letter sized envelope when you fold their arms over their bodies.

Flat Stanley Front (color)              
Flat Stanley Back (color)                

Flat Stanley Front (black/white - decorate your own!)
Flat Stanley Back (black/white)

Flat Sally Front (color)
Flat Sally Back (color)

Flat Sally Front (black/white)
Flat Sally Back (black/white)

2) Willing friends to host Stanley
Facebook and other social networking sites are amazing ways to recruit volunteers - we were able to get hosts for all 50 States in just ten days! Not that I recommend making that a goal - it's a full time job to manage that many trips. Aim for 10-12 hosts per Stanley (if you have a full school year - 5 or 6 for a semester, tops). We currently have six seven Stanleys (one got lost in the mail), two Sallys, and two Manlys in rotation... they have their own Google Calendar now.

Yep. They really do.

3) A printed letter insert with instructions
Click here for a PDF letter to mail with instructions/suggestions to send with Stanley. (Just add your name and contact info) You can also use a handwritten letter from your kiddos, which is adorable.

Gracie's letter to Jimmy Fallon

4) A mailing list with all of the friends' addresses
Click here for a PDF of a Flat Stanley Mailing list you can fill out with your own contacts. It will work like a chain letter, being passed from one person to the next. I think it's fun that the hosts can see what states Flat Stanley has already been to!


5) Stamps!
You'll want to include enough stamps for Stanley to complete his trip and return home. You can ask hosts to provide their own envelopes, which will cut down on hassle and postage expense.

That's it! You're ready for a Flat Stanley Adventure. Have fun, and please email us your own Flat Stanley Adventure photos - we will feature you in your own blog post!

Stanley gets the VIP treatment in Nashville, Tennessee!

An old friend Mason is a professional musician in Nashville, Tennessee and is currently touring with Chris Young. He offered to take Stanley on a backstage tour, and even take him on the road to Illinois and Kentucky for a few days! Stanley was super pumped.

Tennessee Fun Facts:
(brought to you by G-bug and Truth)

16th State

Nickname: The Volunteer State

Capitol: Nashville

State Bird: Mockingbird

State Flower: Passion Flower

State Insect: Ladybug

Attraction: Nashville, the home of country music

First stop, the tour bus! Riding in style, no wonder Stanley wanted to steal... er, drive the bus.

Then, it was time to check out the stage! Beautiful instruments, lights and lasers, and a wicked drum set.

Next, they visited the A/V technician - where the magic happens.

Stanley stayed with Mason for several days on the road, traveling to Illinois, Kentucky, and Ohio - he always had the best seat in the house!

Thank you SO much, Mason for letting Stanley tag along and get a glimpse of the life of a real musician!

Sally visits China!

Ni-haou from Wuhan, China! Our dear friends the Millers invited Sally to join them on a trip back to Lily's hometown.

She enjoyed meeting family and visiting the Three Gorges Dam, the largest hydroelectric plant in the world.

Thank you, Ben, Lily, and Joseph for sharing this wonderful adventure!

Stanley visits the Land of the Hand!

The Brower family offered to host Stanley in the Holland, Michigan area right off of Lake Michigan!

Michigan Fun Facts:
(brought to you by G-bug and Truth)

26th State

Nickname: The Great Lake State

Capitol: Lansing

State Bird: Robin

State Flower: Dwarf Lake Iris

State Fossil: Mastadon

State Fruit: Blueberry

Stanley's first stop was to a farmer's market, where he got to taste some delicious apples and blueberries, grown in one of Michigan's many blueberry fields and orchards.

Next, Stanley visited the Big Red Lighthouse on Lake Michigan, and stopped at a well known ice cream parlor called Captain Sundae. Melissa said that President Bush came and visited there and ordered a Tommy Turtle: vanilla ice cream with caramel, hot fudge, pecans, and topped with whip cream and a cherry on top. YUM. 

Lastly, the Browers took Stanley to Holland, Michigan to visit Windmill Island! The windmill was shipped over from the Netherlands, and the town has one of the largest festivals in the country called Tulip Time Festival - it's to celebrate the town's Dutch heritage.

 Thanks again for such a fun adventure, Brower family!

Manly visits Malaysia!

Manly had an amazing trip with our friends the Eisenmengers to Malaysia!

He had a wonderful time at the Kuala Ghandar Elephant Sanctuary. The elephants liked him so much they tried to keep him there. :) Our son Truth is convinced that they thought he was a giant peanut.

Manly also spent some time with a fun group of high school students!

Last but not least, Manly also got to share a delicious cup of tea and some laughs with his hosts at a tea plantation. He was so sad to leave that David had to console him.

Manly returned with lots of cool souvenirs to share!

Thank you again David and Adrienne for letting Manly
join you on such an incredible trip!