Recently my husband joined a new stamp club – Cresthaven Stamp Club in West Palm
Beach, FL. They meet on the second and fourth Tuesdays of each month. They are
such a welcoming group of people! While my husband attends the meeting, I sit out
of the way and knit but I overheard the President of the club say that stamp
collecting is a dying hobby. This made me sad because I know my husband has
been collecting stamps and postal items since he was a young boy and he finds
so much joy in it.
This reminded me of how many times my husband has gone into
his collection to give me items to use for my lessons. So many stamps have such
a rich story that we should be sharing with our students. Even if teachers don’t consider themselves a
stamp collector, they could attend a stamp show and find stamps on a particular
topic that interests them. Every teacher teaches particular topics in their
subject area and I’m sure that somewhere, there are stamps that feature that topic.
The American Philatelic Society
has great educator resources. The National Postal
Museum at the Smithsonian has educator resources too. Also, the Postal
History Foundation offers educator resources.
Seeing people searching at a stamp show reminds me of a
treasure hunt. There are a variety of items at all different kinds of price
ranges. There is something to suit a beginning collector to a serious
experienced collector. Teachers could go to a vendor and explain what they are
looking for. Usually, if they can’t help you, they will point you in the right
direction for help.
The more I thought about this idea, I thought that once in a
while I might start featuring a stamp from my husband’s collection and sharing
the story about it. This will show teachers how they might be able to use
stamps in their classrooms. Maybe if students start seeing the stamps, hearing
the stories, and becoming aware of the idea of stamps, they might consider
starting their own collection. I will try to include some activities that would
go along with the lesson.
Do you use stamps in your classroom? Please share.
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