Update your link--here's our new page!  

1. Where did you get this idea?
2. Who will be traveling in this project?
3. How is the project set up?
4. What will I need to do to participate?
5. Do you still need a participant from my state?
6. How can I sign up?
7. Where can I find inexpensive postcards?
8. How can I learn more about the real postal mascot, Owney?
9. What other Postal Service and U.S. Mail resources might be helpful?
10. What resources might be useful to learn more about the United States?
11. Are there any books specifically about my state?
12. What extension activities could I try?

Where did you get this idea?

During the 2005-2006 school year, my class was involved in two 
projects, a traveling buddy project and a postcard exchange.  
While searching on the internet for a new project for the 2006-
2007 school year, I stumbled onto Bev Adam's wonderful site 
(which is, unfortunately no longer on line) and learned about 
Owney!!

Owney was a real dog that was adopted by Postal workers in the 
late 1800's.  He traveled around the country on trains from post 
office to post office.  You can learn more about this famous dog 
at the href="http://www.postalmuseum.si.edu/exhibits/2c1f_owney.html"
>National Postal Museum.

Bev began this project in 1996 after her class read Owney's story 
in their
reading book.  Her class sends a stuffed Owney to 
classrooms around the US, who mail him quickly to the next class 
in an effort to have him circle the country (and return home) in 
one school year!  It became an annual project for her class (and 
for many teachers who participated each year in classrooms around 
the country).  

I loved Bev's idea because it combined both a traveling buddy (in 
her case a
stuffed puppy also named Owney) and a postcard 
exchange!  Unfortunately, she already had a participant for 
Virginia.  So I decided to use her project as a model for my own 
2006-2007 project... Thanks Bev!  :o)

We are now beginning our 4th year of Ollie's Travels!!!!  This 
year our
project will have a new twist--see below for details!

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Who will be traveling in this project?

Our project will center around a stuffed puppy... Ollie!  
He will be like his "cousin" Owney who traveled around the 
country.  But instead of visiting post offices, Ollie will visit 
classrooms across the United States before school lets 
out!  

THIS YEAR, Ollie's twin brother Oscar has decided to join 
him in this project.  Ollie and Oscar will be racing across 
the USA
to see who can visit 25 states first!  It will be an exciting 
twist to an
already memorable project!!

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How is the project set up?

We are looking for a participating class from each of the 50 
states (sign up below if you are interested)!  Ollie and Oscar 
will race across the country.  They will have time to visit each 
class for 1 day only.  Be sure to pack a ton of fun 
into your special day with Ollie or Oscar! Why only one day?  
Remember...this is a RACE and both Ollie and Oscar want to 
earn "bragging rights" for being the fastest puppy!  Oscar 
won in the
2009-2010--who will win this year!?

In Ollie or Oscar's box you'll find a folder of information (and 
books about Owney).  There is also a notebook for you to sign so 
we can see how many new friends they meet! Before sending out the 
box you may
want to add a small pin or souvenir (this is 
optional, though). 

After Ollie and Oscar continue on their trip, you'll send the 
other 49 classes a postcard so they can learn about your state!  
Then email Mrs. Stamp details and pictures of your visit, so it 
can be added to the online travel journal for everyone to read!!

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What will I need to do to participate?

1. href="http://teacherweb.com/VA/ThurgoodMarshallElementarySchool/Mr
sStamp/FAQ2.stm#q6">Sign up below (unfortunately, I can only 
accept one class per state).  Any elementary age class is welcome 
to participate (PreK-5th grade). href="http://teacherweb.com/VA/ThurgoodMarshallElementarySchool/Mr
sStamp/FAQ2.stm#q5">States in bold do not yet have a 
participant.

2. Collect 49 postcards for the other participating classes (and 
have them addressed and prepared for mailing).  See below for 
resources for inexpensive and FREE href="http://teacherweb.com/VA/ThurgoodMarshallElementarySchool/Mr
sStamp/FAQ2.stm#q7">postcards!  I will email you an address 
template that can be printed onto labels once our list is 
complete.  

3. Read books and check out online href="http://teacherweb.com/VA/ThurgoodMarshallElementarySchool/Mr
sStamp/FAQ2.stm#q8">resources (about Owney, the postal 
mascot, the postal service and mail, and our 50 states)-- see 
below for some ideas to get you started!  

4. Get ready to have Ollie or Oscar for a 1 day visit!  Let your 
traveling puppy participate in all the fun you have during your 
school day!!  His box will include a journal.  Please sign your 
names in his journal and include it when you mail him to the next 
class.  It will be great to see how many people Ollie and Oscar 
meet in their travels! Feel free to include a small pin or 
souvenir in the box (this is optional).  
 
5. Mail Ollie or Oscar to the next class the same day or the 
next day after he arrives.  This is very important, so that 
we can find out who will win this great race across the USA!  
Let's make sure ALL the classes get to meet our furry friend!  
Put a package tracker or delivery confirmation on the box so we 
can always be aware of Ollie and Oscar's location.  There will be 
an address label sheet in the box, so you will just need to pull 
off the next label, attach it to the box, and send it!  Email 
Mrs. Stamp to let me know the package tracker/ delivery 
confirmation number.  

6. Send 1-2 paragraphs to >Mrs. Stamp which will be posted in Ollie and Oscar's online 
travel journal. Include details about your experiences with Ollie 
or Oscar, digital photos, and your classroom or school website.  

7. Mail the postcards to the other classes within one week of his 
visit to let them know Ollie or Oscar has visited you (include 
information about your state so we can learn about your area 
too).  Please don't wait to mail Ollie or Oscar until your 
postcards are completed... we don't want to slow down their 
journey!

8. Keep up-to-date of Ollie's travels and Oscar's adventures in 
the USA by reading the travel journal!  Watch your mailbox 
for postcards as the puppies make their way around the USA!!  How 
many people will they meet?  How many miles will they travel?  
Who will win this RACE ACROSS THE USA!?    Let's find out!!

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Do you still need a participant from my state?

***2010-2011 Sign Up AVAILABLE NOW!! ***

States listed in BOLD are needed for our 2010-2011 
project.  
 
1.	Alabama
2.	Alaska
3.	Arizona:  Mrs. Ballard's 2nd grade class
4.	Arkansas:  Ms. Vernon's 1st grade class
5.	California:  Ms. Dixon's 3rd grade class
6.	Colorado
7.	Connecticut:  Mrs. Weir's 1st grade class
8.	Delaware:  Mrs. Russell's 1st grade class
9.	Florida:  Mrs. Sullivan's 4th grade class
10.	Georgia:  Mrs. McDavid's 2nd grade class
11.	Hawaii:  Mrs. Glaser's 1st grade class
12.	Idaho:  Mrs. Taylor's 1st grade class
13.      Illinois:  Mrs. Corn's 1st grade class
14.	Indiana:  Mrs. Hamilton's kindergarten class
15.     Iowa:  Mrs. Pickhinke's transitional kindergarten
16.	Kansas:  Mrs. Gotsche's 2nd grade class
17.     Kentucky:  Mrs. Bertrand's 3rd grade class
18.     Louisiana
19.	Maine:  Miss Kent's kindergarten class
20.     Maryland  
21.	Massachusetts:  Mrs. Simmons' 1st grade class
22.	Michigan:  Mrs. Rogman's 2nd grade class
23.	Minnesota: Ms. Jones' 2nd grade class
24.	Mississippi:  Mrs. Mosely's 1st grade class 
25.     Missouri
26.	Montana:  Mrs. Lipp's kindergarten class
27.	Nebraska:  Mrs. Sullivan's 4th grade class
28.	Nevada:  Mrs. Isham's 2nd grade class
29.    New Hampshire:  Mrs. DeFreze's 4th grade class
30.	New Jersey:  Miss Siersma's 3rd grade class
31.	New Mexico:  Miss Romero's 1st grade class
32.	New York: Mrs. Diagostino's pre-kindergarten class
33.	North Carolina:  Mrs. Thompson's kindergarten class
34.	North Dakota
35.     Ohio:  Mrs. Finnegan's 1st grade class 
36.	Oklahoma:  Mrs. Shiplett's 1st grade class
37.	Oregon:  Mrs. Bollen's 2nd grade class  
38.	Pennsylvania:  Mrs. Hibb's 2nd grade class
39.	Rhode Island:  Mrs. Walker and Mrs. Saila's 1st 
grade  
40.	South Carolina: Mrs. Davidson's K, 1st, & 2nd 
multi-age
41.	South Dakota
42.	Tennessee:  Mrs. Shedd's kindergarten class
43.     Texas
44.	Utah:  Mrs. Lee's 3rd grade class 
45.	Vermont
46.     Virginia:  Mrs. Stamp's kindergarten class
47.	Washington
48.	West Virginia
49.	Wisconsin
*50.	Wyoming:  Miss Steuhm's kindergarten class

Here are the details for the participating classes so far: 

Pre-K or Trans. Kindergarten:  2
Kindergarten:  7
First Grade:  12
Second Grade:  8
Third Grade:  4
Fourth Grade:  3
Fifth Grade:  0
Multi-Age:  1
Total:  37
We still need:  13

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How can I sign up?

Go to our new updated, href="http://www.teacherweb.com/VA/ThurgoodMarshallElementarySchoo
l/MrsStamp/apt16.aspx">sign-up page!

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Where can I find inexpensive postcards?

**Many retailers (like Wal-Mart) have postcards of your state and 
local
attractions.  

**Another great resource is VistaPrint!  I just got 50 
FREE postcards and only had to pay shipping ($5.25)... at 11 
cents a postcard, it's still a terrific deal!!  UPDATE:  I 
realized
that I ordered "oversized postcards" so they will 
require $ .39 postage rather than $ .24 postcard postage... oh 
well, what can you do?  Here's the link for the standard 
postcards (100 FREE postcards for $5.25 shipping= 5 cents each)
  
Click >here for this offer.  
****You can edit, move, or add text boxes and search a directory 
of over 70,000 pictures (just double click on an image to change; 
adding your
own images costs extra).  
****I also changed the back layout of my postcard.  There was no 
charge for grayscale printing on the back.  
****Be careful though, they offer lots of "exciting" deals... 
just decline or close any pop-up windows that appear and check 
the total carefully before you confirm (to make sure you got them 
for free!).  
****Let me know if you have any questions about how I changed the 
postcard to
fit my needs.

Here is the front and back of the FREE postcards I designed:
src="http://www.teacherweb.com/VA/ThurgoodMarshallElementarySchool
/MrsStamp/postcardfront.jpg">src="http://www.teacherweb.com/VA/ThurgoodMarshallElementarySchool
/MrsStamp/postcardback.jpg">

**IDEA from Melissa Pritchett --"Also, a great resource 
you may want to share with everyone for state postcards is their 
state tourism and travel bureau!  I didn't get all the postcards 
I needed from them, but I emailed them and they did send me over 
thirty Alabama postcards for FREE."

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How can I learn more about the real postal mascot, Owney?

**A good place to start is the National Postal Museum.  You can 
learn more Owney at this href="http://www.postalmuseum.si.edu/exhibits/2c1f_owney.html"
>website.  

**Check your local library for books about Owney or purchase your 
own copies.  


**Here are two books about Owney that are no longer in print, but 
can be viewed online (or purchased used from Used book stores or 
Amazon marketplace):
****One written in 1977 by Lynn Hall entitled, href="http://www.bathpublicschools.com/fms/owney/Owney%
20Book/largehowneystory.htm">Owney the Traveling Dog.
****Another book about Owney was the 1966 book, href="http://www.biemiller.com/owney2.htm">Any Friend of 
Owney's, by Carl Biemiller.

**You can see many of Owney's tags and learn more about him on 
the  
Arago: People, Places, and the Post site.  
On the drop down menu, click "Popular Culture", then "Seals and 
Symbols", and finally "Owney the Dog".  Get a close-up look at 
some of his most memorable tags!!

**The National Postal Museum has some neat, short videos the 
railway postal service.  Check out: href="http://www.postalmuseum.si.edu/exhibits/2c1_railwaymail_movi
e.html#1">Mail By Rail and href="http://www.postalmuseum.si.edu/exhibits/2c1b_4_mailcrane_mov
ie.html">Mail-on-the-Fly.

**If you're near Washington, DC, visit Owney at the href="http://www.postalmuseum.si.edu/resources/6a2n_owney.html"
>National Postal Museum!  Click href="http://teacherweb.com/VA/ThurgoodMarshallElementarySchool/Mr
sStamp/NewsFlash4.stm#q32">here to see pictures of our field 
trip there in November 2006!

**You can even download Owney href="http://www.postalmuseum.si.edu/activity/8d_wallpaper.html"
>wallpaper for your computer!

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What other Postal Service and U.S. Mail resources might be helpful?

**The United States Postal Service has many href="http://www.usps.com/communications/community/classroom.htm">
classroom resources on its website.  You can also learn href="http://www.usps.com/postalhistory/welcome.htm">postal 
history there.  

**The National Postal Museum has many href="http://www.postalmuseum.si.edu/index.html">resources 
for educators and even an activity zone for kids.  

**Read lots of books about mail and the post office.  Below are 
just a few of the hundreds of fiction and non-fiction books on 
the subject:




TEACHERS:  Have you found other great resources??  Please 
email them to me and I will 
add them to this list!

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What resources might be useful to learn more about the United States?

**There's a wealth of information on the href="http://www.50states.com">50 states.com site!  This 
includes everything from the capital to what their license plate 
looks like.  

**href="http://www.ipl.org/div/kidspace/browse/usa1000/">KidSpace> is a great resource for kids to learn more about our 50 states 
too.  

**The href="http://www.kidport.com/RefLib/UsaGeography/UsaGeography.htm"
>KidPort site provides lots of great information too! After 
learning key facts take a state quiz to test your knowledge.

**Check out First Gov for Kids.  On this href="http://www.kids.gov/k_states.htm">site, you can see a 
website for each state!  

**Explore the country at href="http://www.americaslibrary.gov/cgi-
bin/page.cgi/es">America's Library!  There are facts and 
trivia with a clickable map.  

**Once you've studied the locations of the states, you can try 
your hand at this href="http://www.sheppardsoftware.com/states_experiment_drag-
drop_Intermed_State15s_500.html">challenge.  Can you 
correctly place each state?  It's harder that it looks!  :o) 

**At State Animals.com, you can even make a href="http://www.stateanimals.com">report cover with your 
state animal on it!  

**Find out which star on the href="http://www.crwflags.com/50stars.html">US flag "belongS" 
to your state!  You can also see each of the 50 state flags on 
this site.

**Do you wonder if there more boys or girls in your state?  Find 
out more about each state's population at Fact Finder href="http://factfinder.census.gov/home/en/kids/funfacts/funfacts.
html">Kid's Corner from the US Census Bureau!  

**Check out the href="http://plasma.nationalgeographic.com/mapmachine/index.html">
Map Machine from National Geographic.  You can plug in the 
zip code where Ollie and Oscar are traveling to see a road map 
and even a satellite image of their location!  
 
**Of course, there are tons of books to read about our country as 
well:




TEACHERS:  Have you found other great resources??  Please 
email them to me and I will 
add them to this list!

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Are there any books specifically about my state?

YES!  Click href="http://teacherweb.com/VA/ThurgoodMarshallElementarySchool/Mr
sStamp/faq3
.stm">here for lots of book resources for your state.  The 
list includes both fiction and non-fiction books.

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What extension activities could I try?

**Start by reading some of the book ideas and visiting a few of 
the suggested sites (listed above).

**Calculate how many href="http://www.mapquest.com/directions/main.adp?
bCTsettings=1">miles Ollie travels on his journey.

**Find the difference in href="http://www.weather.com">temperatures from one location 
to the next.

**Determine the total href="http://www.usps.com/tools/calculatepostage/welcome.htm?
from=home&page=0061calculatepostage">postage costs for his 
journey.

**Give each child a href="http://www.eduplace.com/ss/maps/pdf/uspostal.pdf">map 
to track Ollie's journey.  This could also become a class 
bulletin board.

**Make predictions as to the date Ollie will arrive at your 
school... reward the child who was closest by letting him/her be 
the first to hold Ollie!

**Estimate how many signatures Ollie will accumulate in his 
journal... how many friends will he meet?

**Write letters to Ollie and/or keep a scrapbook of his travels.

**Research and learn more about the states Ollie visits.  Create 
a class book of your findings. 

**IDEA from Mona Kerby (children's author of many books, 
including a forthcoming book, href="http://www.carr.org/authco/k_owney.html">Owney, the Mail 
Pouch Pooch)--"The real Owney loved trinkets, 
medallions, little things he could add to his collar.  Maybe 
students could design and draw a medal that represents their 
school or city or state?"

**The possibilities are endless, you can make this activity as 
simple or as extensive as you wish... have fun!!

TEACHERS:  Do you have other great ideas??  Please href="mailto:stampkm@pwcs.edu">email them to me and I will 
add them to this list!

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