ORIGINAL

In 1995 the internet was in its infancy. I was teaching grade 3 for the first time and, when I couldn't find a motivating literacy activity on the web, I decided to create one. The Flat Stanley book was written in 1964 by Jeff Brown and was almost out of print when I special-ordered my copy. Stanley wanted to visit his friend in California so his parents folded him up, put him in an envelope, and mailed him there... I used that concept to create the Flat Stanley Project and my students loved it... In the very first year of the Flat Stanley Project there were 13 participants- 6 from Canada and 7 from the USA. I considered it a success and wondered what I was going to try the next year. Over the summer, many teachers contacted me asking to be put on the list in September, so I decided to extend it one more year. That was 28 years ago. I have been maintaining the site since then as an uncompensated volunteer and the number of participants has extended into the millions.