A while ago I was asked by our local school if I would take part in a letter writing project. Children rarely, if ever, write letters today. Actually not many adults do either.
Each child is 'given' an adult to whom they write. No addresses are exchanged and only Christian names are used.
I received a recent letter from 'Penpal E'. She is nine years old and a very chatty little girl. Her letters are full of questions....'What's your favourite colour? Mine is blue. Do you have any animals? I have a cat'. Great excitement this week when she wrote that she was going 'to an island called Monorca for the Summer holiday....and staying in a VILLA!!!!'
The school is putting emphasis on sentence structure, proper address of the school written in the top of the paper, the date given. It's not perfect, but the point is that they are learning to correspond....and dont we all make mistakes?
Having written a letter and addressed the envelope,the children go to the post office to post them. It has so far been a success with all the writers and recipients enjoying the correspondence. Except for one person , who opted out, saying she 'found the letters a bit too childish'. I guess when you are a child you write as a child
20 comments:
Good morning, Barb. Well, for me, anyway. Some how I have missed your previous posts and I'm loving your roses! Letter writing is a lost art, isn't it? I used to write tons of letters, even as small child to my step grandmother in Iowa. She always answered back. I have a tub full of letters that my dad wrote home when he first left home in Colorado to work in Rhode Island. He had just graduated college and left home for the first time. They reveal a man I never knew. I had penpals as kid, too. That's how I met Anke when you assigned us letter partners and we have remained friends all this while. She is a treasure. Somehow social media has replaced letter writing. Sad isn't it? I Your garden is lovely and I'm sorry I've so many of your posts.
Good morning!
As your previous post said, it's been very hot here in South Carolina too, but like you, I do try to enjoy my little porch and plants in the mornings. I love your rose, so delicate.
The letter writing project is such a wonderful idea and so needed. With texts, emails, social media and lack of proper instruction, children have no knowledge of the joy receiving a card or letter in the mail can bring. Good for you and your Penpal E!
Blessings, Linda
How lovely!
What an excellent idea. One year for year 6 SATs one of the English exercises was to write a letter. I was in a school in a deprived area and those children who chose to write the letter didn't write enough, so we suggested they have a go at another question, totally against the rules, but what we were to do? Some had written less than 20 lines!
Oh what a fun idea! I've written letters all my life. I try to write a card or letter at least once a week & have a stack on my desk now that I need to respond to. I love writing to children. I haven't written to a child in awhile...the ones I used to write to grew up!
Letters too childish?? What an odd response. I send very few letters these days too - and yet I write more than ever to friends and contacts. That's because of email of course, which I love. But there is still something nice about a hand written letter through the post. Eventually it will die out though I suspect.
Hallo!
What a wonderful idea to have a penpal. I ´m sure the children enjoy it. It was nice to get letters and to write them, but as you say it is not so common nowadays. Your penpal E has a favourite place in cornwall. Eden project. I would like to see it too.
Have a nice day /Marika
I think the idea of children learning to write actual letters is a great one. Your little penpal E seems like a very neat writer. I was horrified when my grandson who is 13 told me he can't do cursive because he's never been taught. Apparently our schools don't think there's any need to teach it any longer.
That's a great idea and I think the earlier you catch the joy of receiving letters you might just write more of them, too.
Bonjour,
Quelle bonne idée ! C'est une bonne chose que d'apprendre aux enfants à écrire des lettres manuscrites, cela leur demande un effort de concentration, d'application. Nous vivons dans un monde de plus en plus virtuel, dématérialisé, impersonnel, standardisé, déshumanisé.
Recevoir une lettre manuscrite d'un(e) ami(e) est devenu exceptionnel. L'art épistolaire est en voie de disparition pourtant l'écriture et le choix des mots, le type de papier utilisé, la couleur de l'encre (on écrit pas une lettre au stylo à bille !) reflètent la sensibilité de notre correspondant, son humeur du moment et nous en disent long sur sa personnalité. Les courriers électroniques nous privent de tout cela.
Passez une bonne fin de semaine
Hélène
D'accord, Helene.
That is such a wonderful idea! I would guess that both parties benefit from this exchange!
This is a wonderful way to teach the children, and perhaps teach some adults a bit of patience.
God bless.
Hi Barbara, I hope you're in good health! What an excellent project this is. I like that the school took them to the actual Post Office to complete the process - what fun! My husband was a a headteacher at a tiny Cornish school . Being a smaller school is an advantage for really engaging the kids in their community. I think your little penpal is doing very well for 9! She even remembered a capital letter to name the film 'Frozen'! I would like to have seen your reply, if only to find out your favourite colour! I'm guessing blue also?...as is mine!
Hi dear Barbara - loved coming here and
oops something happened! Anyway I looked at your former posts of the garden, beautiful roses and flowers, puts my dried out, parched, fading one look so pitiful..
Hope all is good, blogger acting up, will return here later!
What a lovely idea!
What a lovely project! I would have found it great fun!
What a lovely idea the letter writing project is for both writer and recipient. It is a shame that letter writing seems to have become far less popular these days. It was always something special receiving a letter addressed to me. I hope the project is a huge success.
Good afternoon, Barbara! I am so happy to see you still blogging. I have been away from the blogging community but have now returned. Much love, Gina
Post a Comment