Postcards from the Edge of Educational Tourism

Thanks to some fortunate tourism, friends who travel, and grandparents who frequent book and paper shows, we have built up a nice collection of postcards related to the time periods in history we have studied. So far I have just hung them in our school room (in chronological order of course) using that white gummy poster putty stuff. {Does it actually have a name?}

But now I am motivated to collect even more postcards as we travel and maybe even purchase a few long distance.

The Victoria and Albert Museum has a wonderful education section on their website and I am now enamored with their "Fifty Ways to Use Museum Postcards" article. There are great ideas for prepping for a museum visit, ways to use postcards to interact while visiting the museum, and post visit activities. These ideas go well beyond Charlotte Mason style picture study, which is also a great use of postcards. There are memory games, games to promote vocabulary, art projects, the list goes on and on. I highly recommend looking at Number 49, Annotation, where you attach a piece of acetate/transparency film on a "sellotape" (or for us in the USA-scotch tape) and then annotate the subject using felt tip pens or Sharpies. That one activity has so many possibilities for so many different subjects that I am already envisioning a little book of postcards with different acetate sheets for the artistic aspects of an object, the historical significance, and the child's reaction to the piece. Number 42 brought to mind some IEW writing from a series of pictures. Number 27 would be a great scavenger hunt for kids of all ages. {I know a few folks that I could put into teams and we would compete, maybe with matching shirts, a museum map and a time limit---oh wait our kids are supposed to be learning and it's always ugly when adults yell and jostle each other in a museum.} Number 9 would be very helpful in preparing a visit to any museum or historic site. The more accurately your student can describe an object or experience the more they can retain. I think this would also be a great opportunity to learn any vocabulary appropriate to the experience.

I would have to add Number 51: Don't forget to buy extra postcards for you family and friends who want to know what you are up to on vacation (another great chance to practice handwriting and composition not to mention math and geography while purchasing stamps). Finally, Number 52: Pick up a few extras for your homeschooling friends now that you know all the great educational uses they have!