Anti-bias activity: Flat Stanley variation

The project I’ve chosen is a variation of the traditional Flat Stanley pen pal project. You will create a ‘Flat Stanley/Stella’, which is a puppet like figure, and engage as pen pals with other classrooms around the world exchanging pictures and letters about your cultures and experiences. Your students will also create their own 'flat selves' and will use them to interact with one another and discuss their own cultural traditions, clothing and skin color.

Materials Required:

Flat Stanley templates

Clothing swatches

People colored crayons

Glue (non toxic)

Book: Flat Stanley

Book: Children Just Like Me

Camera 

Printed photographs of your children with Flat Stanley/Stella

Postage Stamps

White Butcher paper, to create large envelope display (optional)

Laminator (optional)

(Image from Anderson Early Childhood Center)

I chose this project because it is fun and engaging for all age groups, abilities and comprehension levels; children are encouraged to explore themselves physically and culturally as well as the friends in their classroom and are exposed in a personal way to children from around the globe. It is also an activity that can be integrated throughout the entire school year, not simply used as an isolated cultural experience. A Flat Stanley curriculum may be designed to be engaging for all children ages 3yrs - 6^th grade. While children ages 3-4 may not grasp every concept they will definitely still benefit from the exposure to culture and self-exploration. Children in the preschool age group are beginning to notice differences between themselves and others and enjoy exploring what they mean. Children ages 3-4 are very literal and make overly broad associations, "If they see a Native American on horseback with bows and arrows on television, they may deny that their classmate is a Native American" York, pg. 18. This is why it is appropriate and important to introduce a project like Flat Stanley and incorporate 'Children Just Like Me' in the preschool environment; children will be exposed to real life examples of various cultural backgrounds. They may ask questions for example about what makes them a girl or a boy and how they can tell others are girls or boys, what others eat and wear or how they talk; they begin to notice physical differences like color, size or physical disabilities obvious to the eye, all of these concepts are outlined in the Roots and Wings text, York, pg. 13. The Flat Stanley/Children Just Like Me project addresses and builds upon children's natural curiosity in the preschool years.

“Multicultural education is at least three things: an idea or concept, an educational reform movement, and a process.” York, pg. 125. Through the Flat Stanley project outlined in this blog children will be exposed to invaluable themes such as encouraging a true sense of self, York, pg. 128 (Bliss, Goals for Anti-Bias Curriculum). This project is to be used as “an intentional, sustained effort” NOT as a “one time event or thematic curriculum” York, pg. 129 to encourage exploration of various cultures throughout the year while exploring their own. Through the inclusion of everyday cultural experiences such as eating, playing dress up and seeing children represented in their everyday attire creates an environment of anti bias by challenging “the sources of stereotypes”, York, pg. 134. Discussing the many similarities and differences between themselves and the children they learn about and exchange letters and photographs with is an excellent positive exposure to diversity. (Bliss, Goals for Anti-Bias Curriculum) By reading ‘Children Just Like Me’ and creating a culturally inclusive curriculum to support the Flat Stanley project children are armed with the knowledge and experiences of a culture instead of seeing only celebratory traditions or garb. This encourages the respect of other cultures (Bliss, Goals for Anti-Bias Curriculum) while increasing their ability and confidence to interact with people of cultural backgrounds different from themselves.

Flat Stanley is a story and tradition that has been around for 50 years. The original Flat Stanley storybook written by Jeff Brown, published in 1964, explains that Stanley’s bulletin board fell on him as he slept, but it DIDN’T hurt him! It just made him flat. Stanley embarks on a series of adventures, including being mailed away to visit his best friend who moved far away. In 1994 Dale Hubert decided to have his class create their own ‘Flat Stanley’s’ and mail them away to their family and friends, he also contacted other educators offering to “host” Flat Stanley’s with his class. The popularity of his idea was tremendous and educators jumped at the chance to share cultural and geographical lessons in this fun and unique way. As the popularity of the project continued to grow Jeff Brown wrote a sequel, forty long years after his original publication. “Today, the Flat Stanley Project is a uniquely multi-generational, global literacy activity that engages hundreds of thousands of children on a daily basis. The Project encompasses more than 6000 schools registered in 88 countries around the globe, and is included in the curriculum for more than 15% of schools in the US.” Flatter World inc. 2011.

The project begins by reading Flat Stanley; I encourage flexibility when reading the story with preschoolers, as it is a bit wordy. The illustrations are fun and make excellent jumping off points for conversation. It is not important that they hear or even that you read all of the words so much as they absorb and enjoy the concept of a flat boy who can be mailed anywhere! With facilitation the children will then create their very own Flat ‘Stanley’s or Stella’s’
there are a great many templates to choose from that can be personalized to represent any cultural background. Allow the children a variety of materials to choose from to clothe and accessorize their ‘flat self’ including material swatches to glue on for clothes and people colored crayons to color their skin. Remember that a 3yr olds version of their flat self and an 8yr olds will obviously be worlds apart and that is absolutely OK! The process will be enjoyable for all ages and for an attentive teacher holds potential for excellent enriching conversation for the children. I recommend laminating the finished product as they can be used for various activities throughout the year.

This is an excellent ‘getting to know you’ activity for the beginning of the school year; after creating their ‘Flat Self’ the children can discuss with one another their clothing and skin color choice, their hobbies, family life and pets etc. The children’s flat selves should have a special board in the classroom where they can be displayed all together. These ‘flat selves’ may be used as tools to resolve conflict, expressing their emotions with one another through their flat selves. Children may also feel more comfortable communicating difficult life experiences they may be going through at home with the use of their flat selves. “By expressing feelings through Flat Stanley it should be easier for students to share sensitive information. Students would be encouraged to examine their emotions and to display the appropriate flat self that reflects how they are feeling. By expressing emotions and attitudes through their flat selves it is hoped that students won't have to act out as much to show how they are feeling. The teacher can be sensitive to the moods of the flat selves and prevent blow ups and unexpected emotional outbursts.” Flatter World inc. 2011, flattered emotions. 

This project requires some special involvement; as an educator you must be prepared, by using the Flat Stanley website, to connect with at least one, but ideally several other teachers globally to exchange Flat Stanley’s/Stella’s with. This project may be as culturally inclusive into your classroom as you wish. I personally would theme the class materials (sensory bin, snacks, music, dramatic play, guest speakers…etc.) based upon where your flat character is headed, as this will increase the children’s understanding of culture as a people’s way of life, not just pictures and stories.

Upon identifying the first destination for your class’s Flat Stanley/Stella to embark you will use the ‘Children Just Like Me’ book. As a class you will read about where your character is headed. Children should be exposed to ‘real life’ images of diversity, as provided in ‘Children Just Like Me’, not only in cartoon form as the Flat Stanley/Stella characters. ‘Children Just Like Me’ is an excellent resource that provides photographs of children from around the world in their everyday clothing and explains the homes in which they live, food that they eat and aspects of their ordinary daily lives.

I personally recommend sending a ‘flat Stella’ as ‘flat Stanley’ seems to get around quite a lot and be well represented, it seems to me that ‘flat Stella’ should be included in more globe trotting experiences. As far as what your Stella/Stanley should look like I recommend modeling him/her to look like the country he/she will be traveling to based upon the children you read about in ‘Children Just Like Me’. The teacher will create the class’s flat character and introduce him/her to the class during circle time. If you have chosen an all inclusive classroom approach for the project you should also discuss at this time all of the ways the flat character’s country of origin will be incorporated into the classroom through sensory bins, snacks, dramatic play, music, books…etc. For example; if your Stella/Stanley happens to be traveling to Mexico you may post photographs of Mexican cultural activities throughout the classroom, taste traditional Mexican foods at snack time, practice counting in Spanish, listen to Spanish language songs throughout the day and perhaps invite a member from your local community who is a Mexican native or expert to be a volunteer guest speaker.

You may choose to incorporate all elements of the project:

Reading Flat Stanley

Creating 'flat selves'

Introducing the Stella/Stanley you will be mailing

Reading Children Just Like Me

Incorporating the cultural destination of your character

Taking photographs

Addressing your envelope and associated lesson

Visiting the post office

Over the course of a week or even more!

 Preschoolers will develop a better understanding of the culture their flat Stanley/Stella is to travel the longer they are exposed to play materials, no need to rush. Ensure that copies of Flat Stanley and Children Just Like Me are available during free play times for children to look through and explore freely, answer any questions they may have and encourage discussion about their own lives and cultures. As you engage in story time, playtime, snack time etc. take pictures of your class’s flat Stanley/Stella with the children. Ask the children what they do everyday that they would like to share with children who live in said country where your character will be traveling and take pictures of them engaging in these activities with their flat character as well.

After several pictures have been taken write a letter of introduction to the class where your character will travel and read it aloud at circle time, then place the character, photographs and letter in to an envelope; explain what you’re doing as you address and stamp your envelope. You may choose to organize a field trip to the post office to mail your flat Stanley/Stella. You can create a giant addressed envelope to display in the classroom; it is good for preschoolers to see an addressed envelope even if they don’t fully comprehend it’s meaning. This is also a place in the classroom where you can post the pictures and letters your class receives from around the globe. Discuss why it is important for them to know the name of the street where they live and begin practicing their phone numbers.

Post the letters and pictures you receive from other classes while reviewing the materials, music, toys, dress up materials and food you ate from that country or state. Answer any questions they may have and discuss their preferences; what did they enjoy and would like to try again?!

Even President Obama is a big supporter of Flat Stanley!

References:

Roots & Wings, Stacy York
Goals for Anti-Bias Curriculum, Bliss
Flatter World.Inc., https://www.flatstanley.com/user/home