The Flat Stanley Project facts for kids
The Flat Stanley Project is a super fun educational activity. It began in 1995 with Dale Hubert, a third-grade teacher in London, Ontario, Canada. This project uses paper cut-outs of Flat Stanley, a character from a popular 1964 children's book.
The main goal of the project is to help elementary school students improve their reading and writing. It also encourages them to learn about different places and cultures. In 2001, Mr. Hubert even received a special award from the Prime Minister of Canada for his amazing teaching ideas!
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The Story of Flat Stanley
Dale Hubert started the Flat Stanley Project with his students in 1995. This was at Wilfrid Jury Public School. The project gets its name from the main character in the book Flat Stanley.
The book, written by Jeff Brown in 1964, tells the story of Stanley Lambchop. Stanley becomes flat after a bulletin board falls on him! His parents then mail him to a friend in California. Mr. Hubert thought this was a fun way for kids to learn and communicate.
Here's how the project works: Students first read the Flat Stanley book. Then, they get a black-and-white paper cut-out of Stanley to color. They also write a story about their Stanley. This story includes where he lives, what he does, and what he likes.
Next, students mail their Flat Stanley to someone. This could be a friend, a relative in another country, or a student in another participating school. The person who receives Flat Stanley takes a picture with him. They then send a letter or email back to the student. This message shares all of Flat Stanley's adventures and includes the photo.
Finally, the student shares the photo and letter with their classmates. This helps everyone learn about new places and experiences. The project quickly grew! By the end of its first year, 13 classrooms in Ontario were involved. Soon, schools in the United States joined too. By 2006, 6,000 classes in 47 countries were participating. By 2011, over 88 countries were part of the annual program.
Flat Stanley in the Spotlight
The Flat Stanley Project became even more famous in the 2000s. This was because it started getting a lot of attention from news and social media.
People began taking pictures of Flat Stanley in amazing and unusual places. He was even seen with many famous people! It was a bit like the fun of a travelling gnome prank.
Many important figures have posed with Flat Stanley. For example, Arnold Schwarzenegger took his son's Flat Stanley on his political campaign in 2003. He even brought him to The Tonight Show with Jay Leno. Clint Eastwood carried his daughter's Stanley to the Oscars in 2005.
US Presidents like Barack Obama, George W. Bush, and Bill Clinton have all had their photos taken with Flat Stanley. He even flew on Air Force One with Colin Powell, a former US Secretary of State. Flat Stanley also traveled into space aboard the Space Shuttle Discovery!
In a truly incredible event, Flat Stanley was on US Airways Flight 1549 in 2009. This was the plane that made an emergency landing in the Hudson River. He was safely carried off the plane in a briefcase.
Flat Stanley has met many other celebrities too. These include TV stars Steve Irwin and Jamie Oliver. He also posed with sports legends like Muhammad Ali and Peyton Manning. Musicians Clay Aiken and Willie Nelson have also joined in the fun.
The project even appeared on TV shows. An episode of King of the Hill in 2004 featured Flat Stanley. He also made appearances on The West Wing, Everybody Loves Raymond, and game shows like Who Wants to Be a Millionaire? and Jeopardy!.
Flat Stanley Goes Digital
In 2006, some schools in Chesterfield County, South Carolina started a new project. It was called Flat Stanley Goes Hi-Tech. For a whole year, students used email and webcams. They shared photos and talked with students in Chile and Nova Scotia, Canada.
This exciting project included 9 teachers and more than 200 students. A special hour-long documentary film was made about their progress. It was shown on South Carolina Educational Television (SCETV).
Flat Stanley Goes Hi-Tech even won an award in 2006. It received the TIPS (Technology Innovation Programs in Schools) Award for South Carolina. This award celebrates great uses of technology in education.
Fun Ways to Play with Flat Stanley
The Flat Stanley Project has inspired many similar creative activities around the world.
Flat Mark
In 2003, a teacher named Karlo Cabrera in Toronto created "Flat Mark". This was for a project about civics and reading. A nine-year-old student, Steven Matskoulis, gave him the idea. Steven had read Flat Stanley and visited the Parliament Buildings.
Mr. Cabrera's class sent Flat Mark to the Canadian Prime Minister, Paul Martin. They asked him to take Flat Mark along during his work. Flat Mark attended important meetings and toured Rideau Hall. He even met the Governor General of Canada!
Flat Stan the Man
In 2010, the St. Louis Cardinals baseball team started a campaign. They wanted President Barack Obama to give a special award to baseball legend Stan Musial. Fans could download "Flat Stan the Man" cut-outs. They then posted pictures with their cut-outs online.
This effort worked! On November 17, 2010, it was announced that Stan Musial would receive the Presidential Medal of Freedom. He was given this high honor at the White House on February 15, 2011.
Flat Stanley Cup
After the Chicago Blackhawks won the Stanley Cup in 2010, 2013, and 2015, the Chicago Tribune newspaper had a fun idea. They offered a "Flat Stanley Cup" for fans to download. Fans then shared pictures of themselves with their paper cup on Twitter using #flatstanleycup.
Flat Francis
In 2015, an organization called Catholic Extension created "Flat Francis". This was to welcome Pope Francis on his visit to the United States.
People could download a Flat Francis from a website. They then took pictures with their paper Pope Francis. These photos were shared on social media with the hashtag #FlatFrancis.
Flat Selves
Some schools have students create a "Flat Self". This is a paper cut-out that looks like the student. It uses the student's own name, like "Flat Leslie" for a student named Leslie. Some even make life-sized versions by tracing their own bodies!
Flat Stanley Kubrick
In 2022, a podcast called Blank Check with Griffin & David started a new series. It was about the movies of Stanley Kubrick. The podcast shared a template for a "Flat Stanley Kubrick". Listeners could then take pictures of him in different places.
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