Fun Flat Stanley Projects

Hola EEs and welcome back! As we make our way through March, I bet you’re already starting to think about April and probably even spring break. In order to give you enough time to plan a fun project that your students can take home, I want to introduce a Flat Stanley Project to you. If Flat Stanley and his adventures are new to you, then you are definitely missing out!

Flat Stanley is a series of books that starts off by introducing the main character, Stanley Lambchop and his family. Stanley Lambchop has a younger brother, a mother and a father in the household. The first book in the series (Flat Stanley and His Original Adventures) begins with Stanley’s dad giving Stanley and his younger brother Arthur, a big bulletin board to display pictures and posters. He hangs it over Stanley’s bed and during the middle of the night, the board falls from the wall, flattening Stanley in his sleep, leaving him only a half of an inch thick! Although Stanley is now flat, he’s not hurt at all! Actually, awesome things begin to happen to him as a result of his new appearance!

This first book keeps children engaged and lends itself to great conversations and opportunities for projects. There are several ways to include Flat Stanley Projects in your class. Here are a few different ways.

1. Flat Stanley Pen Pals

Many people who introduce their students to Flat Stanley will participate in a Pen Pal exchange and send a Flat Stanley template (like the picture below) to another school, a celebrity, a family member, or anyone of interest and request that the recipient return Stanley along with a journal of some sort, post cards and/or pictures.

Check out the original website to see pictures of how huge the Flat Stanley pen pal participation is. He’s even been to the White House with President Obama! 😲 There is also an updated website that includes the 50th Anniversary Flat Stanley and other books in the series.

2. Class Flat Stanley

Another way to do a Flat Stanley project is by having a Flat Stanley character cut out for your class that is laminated, to send home with your students on the weekends or during spring break!

I did this with my class by printing out, decorating and laminating one “class” Flat Stanley for my students to take home one weekend at a time.

I sent home a newsletter and requested that my parents assist their child to take pictures and write a few things that Flat Stanley did with them over the weekend. When the students returned the next week, they would share details of what they did with Flat Stanley and they would pick who Flat Stanley would go home with next.  I even participated and took him home one weekend and my students really got a kick out of that!

Stanley goes to Publix for allergy medicine! He loved riding in the cart!

Check out Mrs. Delecia Hudson’s idea. She is an Excellent Educator (and designer) who does something similar with Flat Stanley, by incorporating a take home project in her own Pre-K class!

She created a larger version of Flat Stanley and placed her parent letter on the back of him as a reminder!

Her students have been loving this new project and the pictures that she get’s back from Stanley’s weekend excursion are priceless. Here are a few pictures she shared with us!

She even gave me permission to post her parent letter so others could benefit! 💚

Download the Editable Parent Newsletter

3. Flat Friends

Since it’s second semester and you may not have enough weekends left in the year to send Flat Stanley home with all of your students, you can also remix the project to fit the amount of time you have left. Try allowing each child to create their own Flat Stanley, but allow them to name it Flat ___________ (insert their own name). You can use any template or cutout or even use the Flat Stanley template and just add a picture with the head of each student. Be sure to create one with your face as well! 😉

Place all of the flat friends in a bag and have everyone to pick out one of their flat friends out of the bag to take home on a designated weekend (or during Spring Break) just like the other mentioned Flat Stanley projects. Create a newsletter to inform parents and encourage them to take pictures and keep a log of what the “Flat Friend” did over the weekend. Have parents send their pictures to your email and compile a slideshow to show the class as a perfect morning video!

Think about your class dynamics along with the amount of time you have and adapt a Flat Stanley project to engage your students. I am certain it will be an experience that they will never forget!

Download the Official Flat Stanley Template

Happy Teaching!

P.S. If you don’t have anyone to send your Flat Stanley to, reach out to me in an email and I can connect you with a class…or I will let Stanley tag along with me for a few days! 😉