Travelmates 2005-2006

2005-2006 List of Travelmates	Photographs & Postcards	Journeys of the Past
Class Projects	Class Activities	Travelmate History

The History of Travelmates

When you were in school, wouldn’t you have liked to travel with your social studies classes to the countries you studied? How educational, and how fun! Well, we have the next best thing (a Travelmate) to visit the world for us, but we need your help.

Since it is too expensive to travel together as a class, we have a Travelmate Project that allows us students to find out about places, people, and customs around the world through our little stuffed animals. All we need to do is bring in a very small stuffed animal (We attach instructions and a notepad before they leave), and then we send them on a year-long journey. We have a Bon Voyage Party with punch and cookies for the chaperones and our little friends. (This year it was October 7, 2005, all day in Room 20. We invited everyone to visit our classroom and take a Travelmate with them. We could hardly wait until that first letter arrived.)

We asked that the chaperones write us via cards, letters, or email and tell us all about their experiences. (The chaperones have only the animal’s name and Mrs. Moss’s name on the instruction sheet. Mrs. Moss reads the mail first, to protect us, and then she puts the mail in the Mail Center in our room. We love to show our friends and other teachers what we receive! Often, we get souvenirs too, which is great fun! One time we received two big boxes of chocolate-covered macadamia nuts from Hawaii! Yum! Yum!)

During the year we then look up the cities, countries, and continents on the map to have an idea of where our Travelmates have visited. This helps us learn not only the location of these places, but the chaperones help us to better imagine the places most of us can only dream of visiting. We see the world more clearly when we communicate through this program.

Have we convinced you to be a Travelmate chaperone yet? Our former chaperones say it’s great fun, and they cannot think of a better way to share the world with students. Please give us a try. You could learn a lot too!

Martinsville West Middle Room 20 School Social Studies

2005- 2006

Travelmates' List

Liberty Pooh Crunch

Small Stuff Flip Spot

Bongo Wabbit Beaker

Pugzy Paco Bluey

Winnie Michael T. Joe

Chikin’ Freckles Big Red

Elf Mask Taz

Mel Corduroy Fred

Super Chick DJ George

Ms. Piggy Celtic Puddin’

Freedom II Isabella Carmel

Skimpy Fish Lucky

Mr. Green Lola Spanky

Raspberry Dragon Neon

Chili Huney Topper

Fortune Tyler Daisy

Joe Billy Bob Balto Aries

Valentine Sunny Zappo

McSnuffles Mr. Bear Champ

Hagan II Buster Peanut

Poogle Rocket Mack

Fish Michatait Sherbet

Limee Digital Pounce

Neon Chalupa Ali

Martin Ryly

Class Projects

Introduction Bon Voyage Party Mail Center

Projects Welcome Back Party Web Additions

Introduction

Travelmates!

2005

Hi! My name is _______________________________________. You are probably wondering why I am here just waiting for travelers to take me traveling with them. Well, this is your lucky day! I am part of a sixth grade GEOGRAPHY project in Mrs. Moss’s room at West Middle School in Martinsville, Indiana. I (along with many other stuffed animals) have been created to be a TRAVELMATE. As a Travelmate, I would like to travel anywhere, and with as many people as possible. Since my school friends from Mrs. Moss’s class cannot travel like this, I was chosen to experience as many travels as possible before May 1, and then report back to them. Mrs. Moss will then have each student map the results of his/her TRAVELMATE’S journey.

The only thing I ask of you is that you take care of me and jot down in my diary (attached to me) some things about yourself and your travels. (Mrs. Moss can be a liaison between you and my friends at school if you leave an address.) If you could, please tell us about the places where you are traveling-what it looks like, what is fun there, the weather, etc. If you can, the kids love getting a postcard, a letter, or a souvenir to the code name (my name) above, and let my friends know where I have been and where I might go next, it would be great! The kids at school get very excited about this, you know!

Then, pass me on to anyone! Tell them to send a postcard or letter, souvenir, (or email) about the places and the people you have met. I’m not picky! I just love to travel. Whoever has me around May 1, 2006; please send ME, or at least my diary, back to West Middle.

Thank you so much!

P.S. Hopefully, you can check out our Travelmate Website at: http://msdadmin.scican.net/wms/ (Click on Academics, and then click on Travelmates.)

Your TRAVELMATE,

______________________

By May 1, 2006, please mail to:

West Middle School

C/O Mrs. Moss

109 E. Garfield

Martinsville, Indiana 46151

EMAIL address is: mossd@msdmail.net

Bon Voyage Party

Each year the Students invite possible Travelmate chaperones to visit Room 20 the 1^st Friday in October. Each student readies his/her stuffed animal with an instruction sheet and note paper for correspondence.

We all provide punch and cookies, and explain Travelmates Project history and the educational benefits from receiving the correspondence. The students volunteer their animal to travel with the chaperone and ask that they email/send post cards or letters and pictures, to inform them about the world outside the classroom.

We say goodbye to our little animals and anxiously await correspondence to arrive and be placed in our Travelmates Mail Center.

Travelmates Mail Center

When Travelmate correspondence arrives at West (after Mrs. Moss peruses the information), it is placed in the Mail Center in Room 20. The students then are able to share each other's correspondence and pictures. Sometimes, they even share their souvenirs.

Class Projects

Each class of students brainstorms for a way to present their Travelmates' journeys. The presentations can be given through available technologies or through other creative ways. The students try to have the projects finished for the Welcome Back Party for the Travelmates who return.

We have had a wide variety of presentations such as the following:

CD's of a compilation of chaperones' pictures that were sent to them

Videos of students sharing their correspondence and souvenirs

An airplane presentation where the Travelmates wore costumes representing their travels

A train presentation where the train tracks passed student-created scenes of their travels

A Red Cross Van filled with Travelmates who had stories of their experiences in different disasters during that year

A Huge Poster Display that shared the information students received that year

A PowerPoint Demonstration of Travelmate Journeys

Welcome Back Party

Students celebrate the return of their little stuffed friends with cookies and punch. Their chaperones are invited so that they may share their projects and all the things they learned from their Travelmates' experiences. This is a fun way to show their appreciation to the chaperones for all their time and all their efforts..

Web Additions

Students type their chaperone information that they received, as well as the mapping information of the Travelmates' journeys.

Journeys of the Past

May 2000 Class Projects

* Period 3 made Computer CD’s covering information on Hawaii, Italy, Egypt, Haiti, and even a CD on a Travelmates’ trip to Hope, Arkansas and the Precious Moments Museum in Branson, Missouri.

*Period 6 made a Travelmate Video about their animals’ trips to Egypt, China, Massachusetts, Texas, and Hawaii.

*Period 7 created an Airplane Ride where the little Travelmates parachute pass scenes from Colorado, Texas, Washington, D.C., and the Bahamas.

*Period 8 constructed a Travelmate Train Ride which pass scenes from Africa, Amsterdam, Italy, and Spain.

Travelmates’ Welcome Back Party May 2006

Who? Special People interested in Travelmates Project!

What? Travelmates’ Open House (Room 20 West Middle School) You are invited to a Party to welcome back our Travelmates from all over the world! We also want to share our individual class projects to show what we have learned about our little Travelmates’ journeys. We will have lots of punch and cookies!

Where? Room 20 at West Middle School

Why? Who wouldn’t want to be a part of this fun, exciting educational event?

These little animals have been traveling all year long and reporting back to Room 20 sixth graders via letters, postcards, and email. We have even received so many pictures that they are taking over the classroom!

Please come enjoy a small part of our Project that has brought so much to our classroom. We have even won two grants to keep the project going! Now that is exciting!

This is our way of sharing what we have learned and thanking you for your interest.

When? 9:00 A.M. until 1:30 P.M. (Check in at the office, then go to Room 20.)

You must come in and see our projects!

Sincerely,

Mrs. Dianna Moss & Room 20 Geography Students