Materials
large boxcraft knife (adult only)shoeboxes with lids (one for each child)list of the children's addressesself-stick folder labelspermanent markerenvelopesride-on toy or toy cart
Instructions
1. Work as a group to make the mailbox. Cut a mail slot (adult only) in the front of a large box that will fold up and down so the mail can be deposited.
2. Give each child a single shoebox. Help them write their house numbers on two self-stick labels. Ask them to attach one to their boxes and keep the others to attach to a letter.
3. Cut a slit in the top of each shoebox (adult only), large enough for a letter to fit through. Children can remove the lid to get mail.
4. Set up the mailboxes on the opposite sides of the room from each other, so that the mail carriers can "deliver" the mail to the boxes on their cart.
5. Encourage the children to draw pictures and dictate or write messages to each other and put them in an envelope. You might want to assign pairs of children to write letters to each other. This ensures that every child will receive mail.
6. Children can attach the second address labels to their envelopes and put them in the mailboxes.
7. Give each child a chance to deliver the mail.
