Post Office

The post office is a great unit to study during the month or week of Valentine's Day. 

Books to look for:

Red Letter Day by Patricia Lakin

Special Delivery by Valjean McLenighan (a Sesame Street book)

Valentine by Carol Carrick (this story isn't about the mail, but fits with the Valentine theme)

Center ideas:

Writing: put envelopes, one cent stamps, postcards, word cards with the following words: postman, Happy Valentine's Day, mail, February, and I love you on them for the children to trace; heart stencils; stamp pads and stamps with theme relations

Art:  heart shaped stencils, writing materials, use red, white, and pink paints for a change of color

Housekeeping: Put your junk mail (starting out unopened) in a basket and let the children place post office.

 More Ideas:

Purchase a over the door plastic shoe organizer and use as mail boxes for the children.

A real mailbox on a post would definitely be a treat in the classroom for the week.

Arrange a field trip to the post office. Make sure you keep it to 15-20 minutes and be sure to tell them the age of your children...the post office is not usually a child friendly place.

Arrange for your postman to make a stop at your classroom to deliver the mail.

Ask your children's parents to send in a self-addressed stamped envelope to your child and have the child make something to send to their house.

Make mailboxes, collect the new coffee cans that are rectangular in shape and cover with construction paper and decorate.