Who is Flat Stanley?

One of the many advantages of being flat is that Flat Stanley can visit his friends by traveling in an envelope. The Flat Stanley Project is a group of teachers who want to provide students with a meaningful reason to write. Students' written work goes to other places by conventional mail and e-mail.

Students make paper Flat Stanleys and begin a journal with him for a few days. Then Flat Stanley and the journal are sent to another school where students there treat Flat Stanley as a guest and complete the journal. Flat Stanley and the journal are then returned to the original sender. Students can plot his travels on maps and share the contents of the journal. Often, a Flat Stanley returns with a pin or postcard from his visit. Especially creative hosts send the Flat Stanleys back with pictures, souvenirs, stories and reminders of the visit.

The Flat Stanley Project is a pen pal activity- but it's far more than that, too. By sending a Flat Stanley it's as if the senders and the recipients have a mutual friend- a little flat guy they can both talk about.