Fifth Meeting – Rubber Stamping/Letter Writing

Today we worked on two skills, Rubber Stamping and Letter Writing.  To start I discussed how letter writing was an important means of communication in the past.  As time has gone by and new devices have been invented, the art of letter writing has become someting that doesn’t have the same importance it once did.  I had the girls come up with ideas as to why you’d want to write a letter to someone. 

I had the girls create a Letter Notebook where all their letter writing supplies can be kept in one, easy to grab place.  They personalized their notebooks with stickers and pens.  To get the girls started their notebooks contain a pen, return address labels, envelopes and stationary.  No excuses for not writing letters now!  I then showed them the standard form for writing a personal or friendly letter.  We discussed addressing envelopes and how it’s important to keep the address area readable so the post office will be able to deliver their letter. 

The first letter the girls are going to write for their badge is a thank you note to Jenni’s mom for letting us borrow all the candle supplies.  The girls practiced addressing an envelope by addressing one to Jenni’s mom.  Now all they need to do is write the thank you note. 

Next, we talked about rubber stamping.  A family friend, Penny, volunteered to teach this part of our meeting.  Penny showed the girls how to ink their stamp and how to press to get a clear image.  She showed them how to fix a print that didn’t completely transfer.  She also talked about how important it is to clean your stamps after your were done with one color before moving on to the next. 

Picking out their stamps

Listening to Penny

Penny demonstrating a technique

Practicing

Showing their work

After the girls were comfortable stamping on paper I gave them their tote bags which they can use to carry their Keeper supplies in and pin their badges onto.  The girls decorated their totes with stamps and markers.

Working on their tote bags

The finished product

The girls did a really good job with the stamping.  I can’t wait to see the beautiful cards and letters they all start creating now.

To complete the Rubber Stamping badge the girls need to make six note cards using the rubber stamping techniques that are suggested in the manual or that they learned during our meeting.

To complete the Letter Writing badge the girls need to:

• Demonstrate the proper format for letters including date, salutation, closing and signature.
• Demonstrate how to address an envelope properly.
• Explain why a return address is important.
• Write notes of appreciation to three adults in your life.
• Write eight letters. 

"As cold waters to a thirsty soul, so is good news from a far country" Proverbs 25:25