PEN PAL CORRESPONDENCE PROGRAM

To create a better understanding of companion animals in our society by using the American Partnership for Pets' information in conjunction with The Snyder Foundation Pen Pal Correspondence Program.

1. Write at least 2 letters that convey information regarding animals, and request a response through the Pen Pal Program.
2. Mail letters to cities across the United States, collect responses, and identify postmark locations on a U.S. map.
3. Create a class journal of photographic images of animals, to be shared at school or on a field trip to a Pen Pal school.

• Receive a canceled postmark from each state. Obtain a standard, classroom-sized map of the United States. As you receive the envelope with the canceled stamp, place it in or near the appropriate state.
• Build a tower of canceled stamps to "measure" the amount of correspondence received.
• Establish a Pen Pal Program with a neighboring school. The optimal goal of this activity could be a field trip to the correspondents' school.
• Introduce the hobby of stamp collecting. Invite a collector to do a presentation for your students.
• Create a mock stamp and cancellation device for in-school mailing from class to class.
• Design a stamp for different animal issues as an art and social awareness activity.
• Create a class journal of animal pictures from newspapers, magazines, websites and other print media. Limit the size to 8-1/2" by 11" so the pictures will fit into a standard 3-ring binder. For each picture, include information regarding the source, publication and date, and the reason for selecting the picture. For longevity, consider sliding the pictures into an economy-weight plastic sleeve.
• Encourage students to correspond or "pen pal" with friends and relatives.
• Create a writing activity for students to inform others about the social awareness issue behind the Spay/Neuter Stamps: to benefit you, your pet, and the community.
• Access the American Partnership for Pets website and links to each member of the Partnership to see the wide range of work being done across the country to benefit companion animals.
• Obtain replicas of other related, inexpensive stamp materials from such companies as Kenmore and Mystic Stamp Co.
• Contact the United States Postal Service. The Postal Bulletin has devoted a great deal of space to the other animal- and environmental- related stamps.
• Plan a trip to a post office near your school.
• Invite a humane educator to visit your school and provide a program related to animal welfare issues.
• Consult the Project WILD curriculum and activity guide, published through the Council for Environmental Education, for the Wildlife on Coins and Stamps activity.

These activities can be modified to accommodate many grade levels. Because students have an innate interest in animals, the concept of the Spay/Neuter Stamps and Pen Pal Correspondence Program lend themselves well to a meaningful hands-on academic experience and a straightforward approach to a social awareness issue.