Most Fridays here in the Bonny Blue House we spend a good chunk of the morning writing letters. In these techno-times I think the children should be mindful of the importance of writing letters to friends and family. On paper, with pens and pencils.
I love writing and receiving letters. Unfortunately, it is a rare ocurrence in these days of cell phones and email. I don’t dispute the value of these things, I use them and am grateful for them all, however nothing beats the excitement of finding a missive in the letter box addressed by hand and meant only for you. I still get a thrill upon finding such things among the junk mail and bills.
When the children receive replies to their letters the house becomes electric with excitement. Everyone wants to share in the letter and hear what the sender has to say. I am really glad they get excited about these letters and I am always grateful for the generosity on the part of the sender. It takes time and effort to write and post a letter or card and I think that is what makes the whole processs so special.
Katie received some pretty note paper and cards from her Aunt Allie for Christmas and I always have a supply of stationary and note cards for everyone to pick from. Ryan prefers plain loose leaf, which is very boyish. Who do they write to? Cousins in Connecticut, North Carolina and even some who live locally but we don’t see as often as we’d like.
We also write to a few Friars that we are fond of, they are delighted to recieved letters and pictures from children.
And of course, the grandparents – all of whom live far away.
Ryan has a nice pen pal I arranged for him from the CCM list about a year ago. A young man his age living in another part of the country is a faithful correspondent and his letters are always greatly anticpated.
Let’s all try to revive the lost art of letter writing. Homeschoolers are the perfect people to get the trend started.
Leonie says
We write letters about once a month – sometimes a surprise card, sometimes we include an activity or a recipe. its fun! Glad to see another family of letter writers.
Leonie
Alice Gunther says
This is such a great idea!
Two of my girls have pen pals, and that keeps them writing fairly often, but I never thought of setting aside time on a specific day for this purpose.
Mary Ellen Barrett says
Setting aside a special time is the only way I can ensure it will be done. Since all the grandparents moved away letter day started as a way for me to encourage the children to maintain these relationships in their own way.
Karen E. says
This really is a great idea. Our letter writing becomes sporadic, precisely because we don’t have that special time allotted for it.