Sparking the Next Generation of Philatelists: My Stamp Story
In which I visit my daughter's 2nd-grade class with a lot of free stamps
Originally published in The American Philatelist, September 2023.
As a collector of stamps (and other things too!) I admit to having a problem parting with stuff. This was true for my growing pile of The American Philatelist back issues. Then it hit me. My 7-year-old daughter’s teacher had invited parents to give talks on whatever topics they wanted. I would give each child their own issue while imparting my love of philately! And that’s what I did, in the spring, in an hour spent talking with 30 second graders.
My message to fellow APS members is: You can do this too! And you should! We can all reach the next generation with our enthusiasm for this hobby. You may not have a daughter in second grade, but maybe a granddaughter, or a neighbor who does; or someone who can vouch for you enough to let you enter a public school with a suitcase full of philatelic material like I did.
I started my presentation with a quiz, giving away FDCs as prizes for correct answers.
I asked: What is a postage stamp used for? (One wrong answer I got: to tell where the envelope is going.) When was the first postage stamp by any nation issued? (First guess: 2020!) Who was on the first stamp? Who was on the first U.S. stamp? My daughter created a slide deck showing these stamps on the classroom electronic whiteboard (because 7-year-olds are already proficient in Google Slides!).
Then I asked the class to tell me any subject that they’re interested in, so I could let them know whether or not there are stamps with those images. Of course, anything and everything they mentioned was a YES! One wisenheimer thought he was going to stump me when he asked about the videogame “Minecraft,” but luckily, I knew Australia Post Collectables cashed in on that trend in 2021. I saw all eyes widen when I gave an enthusiastic yes to that.
After showing a few select pages from my collection to demonstrate the various ways people organize their stamps, I took it up a notch by dumping a couple hundred loose stamps onto their desks. The next half-hour was a frenzy of sifting and trading, excitedly discussing what they found. I also showed them how to soak stamps off an envelope, to their amazement, and we looked at the back inside page of their new magazines (all those old American Philatelists I brought) to see which countries they got.
My presentation was greatly aided by the Spellman Museum of Stamps and Postal History (spellmanmuseum.org), which gave me materials to hand out. They have a wonderful children’s membership, free for the first year, mailing children a monthly envelope with stamps and educational content. In the parents’ text chat that evening, I learned at least two new households signed up.
I’m happy to share my presentation outline with anyone interested. This was fun for everyone involved, and it’s one way we can all share our hobby with the next generation.