A Fun New Collection?

When my daughter was born we started collecting piggy banks. As the grandparents traveled or we traveled we got her a piggy bank. It has been a lot of fun to collect.

M L,
My boys get postcards from our relatives. I have a brother who travels internationally, and sends them to use. Our other realatives send them from across the country. We have a large world map in their play room. We hang them on the bottom where they can see the postcard and run a string to where it came from. Our boys love see where they came from and our learning the map of the world. Our boys 3&4 know all of the states the midwest and are working on the west coast. That is where daddy is traveling right now. Good Luck,
J..

My grandparents always got us those collectible spoons when they traveled...they are mini-sized and easy to hang in a case or store away. Also, my grandma also collected different thimbles. They all meant a lot when she passed away, and they don't take up much space.

My kids love getting coins from all over the world. We find the countries on the map, so it adds learning to the fun. We even keep the state quarters of the states we visit.

ML; hey ;she can collect the little state magnets from each state, they are shaped like the state, and you can put them on fridge and she can put them together to make the usa shape, also webkinz is very popular, they are also stuffed animals, but include many other things, you buy the stuffed animal but it comes with a code, that you enter online and take care of your pet there, it really dont need much care, but it is fun to collect them and their virtual items, they also have webkinz collector cards, mouse pads, clothes for pets, and charms, etc, take a look at them at www.webkinz.com very kid safe and enjoyable for all. each webkinz is 13.99 or small one is 9.99 mostly found at halmark stores. or special gift stores, you can find a list of stores online. t shirts are fun to collect too, our boy's grandfather used to buy them shirts all the time, those are fun and can be worn too,have fun D. s

Instead of getting a bear from each location they visit....have them get one smaller sized one (reasonable to carry with them when THEY travel..like Beanie baby sized or slightly larger?)...have your child name it or they can do it together...then when grandparents travel, they take it with them..take pictures of it seeing the sights and doing the "local flavor" of the location.....then maybe grandparents (if so inclined and creative), can send emails or letters to the child as the animal....does that make sense?

So if its a stuffed racoon...lets says its Rocky Racoon...so Rocky is a world traveler...and he will report on all these fabulous locations he goes to.....have his picture taken at the Tower of London, the beautiful beaches, mountain tops, fancy restaurants, local marketplaces...whatever makes these places special..sunsets and sunrises...whatever....with grandparents in the photos, and some without...then send a letter telling of his adventures, from his point of view.

Your child can keep them in a 3 ring binder and maybe do a simple scrapbooking page (get them some stickers and supplies) of the photos. This could all be done via email and just print the letters and photos, or have grandparents bring the photos with when they visit after a return from a trip..figure out what works for you....and have some sort of maps in the front of the book to continually mark the location of their little traveling friend...grandparents could buy little hats or local costume sort of things for the little critter, etc.....

To some it may sound silly, but I know people and schools that have done this and kids loved it (my daughters school did it and anytime a child or their parents traveled they could request to take the school mascot with them if he was available..I think they had several of the same critter so they could maximize opportunities)....it was a fun project and the kids tracked his progress all year and enjoyed how creative people got with his outfits and stories of what he "did"......

My grandparents always got me magnets, I still have them today. But they also gave me postcards (which are the easiest to find, usually), bells, collector spoons, stamps and rocks.

They could get a little book from where they go. Your daughter could learn about where her grandparents are traveling too and see pictures of the area.

Hope that can help get the wheels turning!

I love Nichol's idea. When I taught 3rd grade we had a classroom teddy bear named Mato. Every fall we would find someone who was traveling and was willing to take the bear with them. They would then pass the bear on to other family or friends who were going to travel. Mato had a backpack that my mom made that carried his travel journal and a disposable camera and was great for Mato to bring back souveniers. He sent us postcards, wrote in his journal, and took pictures of everything that he did. Over the 5 years he traveled to Africa twice, Asia twice, South America, and several European countries in addition to about 12 different states. He gambled in Vegas, went to the Kentucky Derby, went on 2 safaris, visited manatees in Florida, and did a lot of other fun things. He brought back chopsticks from China, pinecones from Michigan's UP, a St. Christopher's medal from Vermont, foreign coins and got his ears pierced in Kenya! I made scrapbooks with his journal entries, postcards, pictures, brochures, etc. They were the most read books in my room. Every year I had former students who would stop me in the hall to ask where Mato was or when he would be back. We had a world map and an US map where we marked all the places Mato had traveled. My students learned so much about geography, culture, etc. They loved the project! I'm not a classroom teacher anymore, but Mato still has a place of honor in either my classroom or at home. I can't wait until my daughter is old enough so I can start a tradition for her and Mato!

How about a beautiful postcard from the places they visit. Your daughter could put them in a photo album and enjoy looking at them whenever she wants. Many post cards also include interesting information about the place so she would be learning about these places as well. Also, if your parents write a note she would have their note as a keepsake as well. They won't take up as much space as the bears and she won't outgrow them and want to pack them away in the attic. Who knows, maybe someday that album full of postcards will serve her well as a travel catalog when she becomes a world traveler herself! Also, magnets could be fun too, but maybe not as easy for your parents to find. There is great magnetic paint available at any hardware store and you could paint a magnetic frame in her room to store the magnets. Have fun!