Yikes!

I was exhausted just reading that. Calgon Take Me
Awaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaay.......

Nobody can't say you didn't try to cover all the bases. I would've been one
of those who runs with scissors and is dangerous around sharp objects.

~~ Mosey ~~

-----Original Message-----
From: letterbox-usa@yahoogroups.com
[mailto:letterbox-usa@yahoogroups.com]On Behalf Of Donna
Sent: Thursday, May 10, 2007 2:30 PM
To: letterbox-usa@yahoogroups.com
Subject: [LbNA] Letterboxing at the Library


This past March I taught a letterboxing class at one of our local
libraries. The librarian and I limited the class to 10 stamp-makers.
Notice I did not say stamp-carvers. I had a box of student-sized
squares of "MasterCarve" material, plus a lot of scraps to practice
on, and 12 carving tools. I also had on hand some adhesive-backed
foam sheets that could be cut with scissors and stuck onto a wood
block. They are made by All American Graphics and are also available
from the Dick Blick online art supply catalog where I buy
the "MasterCarve" material. I opened the stamp-making class to anyone
who felt safe with scissors and sharp tools, noting that there are
some adults who don't meet that requirement. The librarian had
purchased small spiral notebooks and "Ink Dot" stamp pads and pencils
for each participant. She also had a supply of scrap paper and
printouts of possible design ideas.

There were 3 unaccompanied 10 to 12-year-olds who carved their own
designs, 2 younger participants who carved under the supervision of
parents, and a 4-year-old who drew a lovely design that was then
carved by her mother. The scraps of "MasterCarve" material are very
useful, for experimenting with the feel of how much pressure to use,
and for trying out how thick to make a cut. No scrap is too small. A
7-year-old learned to carve small circular dots on a tiny scrap; her
finished design included bubbles coming out of the mouths of her
fish.

The first time I taught a letterboxing class, I handed out the scrap
paper and pencils and got designs too big to fit on the carving area
or to stick onto the wooden blocks. Now I have the stamp-makers
trace their block onto their scrap paper and make designs that fit
within that space. I was impressed with two stamp-carvers who turned
their squares to make diamond-shaped designs. I encourage beginners
to make mostly dark designs with white lines, rather than try to
carve raised lines to make a dark line on a white background.

As for the letterboxes, I had 8 temporary boxes hidden around the
library (inside and out on the grounds), with a single direction page
written for each box. Borrowing one page at a time required the
hunters to come back to the classroom between each find, and also
eliminated multiple hunters ganging up on one box.

Each temporary box illustrated a different kind of hide: a pair of
Altoid tins wrapped together and using rare-earth magnets to stick to
a hiding place, a birdhouse in the library courtyard, a "skirt-
lifter" (a small box hidden under a streetlamp skirting box: when
telling students about this kind of hide you should mention that
wasps sometimes go into that kind of place), an army decon kit hidden
up high with a string "pullied" over a branch, a box at the front
desk that you must ask the librarian for, an "M 'n' M" tube wrapped
with camo tape and hidden in an evergreen, an easter egg hidden in a
potted plant, and a small box hidden in a decorative basket in an
alcove in the classroom. If I had had time, I would have bought one
of those fake books that is really a box which can hold small items,
hidden on a bookshelf.

The class began with me "creating" a letterbox and hiding it in the
classroom. I showed how to create a set of directions, writing out
the directions on a sheet of paper, then "posting" those directions
on the table that represented our website full of clues. To my
surprise, all of the students included that demo letterbox and its
stamp in their finds for the day.

By the time we finished exchanging stamps with each other, and
hunting all of the library boxes, each participant had collected 16
stamp images. I had six stamp-makers and two adult helpers and the
librarian. I was very glad that the class did not fill to 10 stamp-
makers. Everyone seems to need help with something at the same time.

Allow at least an hour to hide the temporary boxes and write out the
directions. The class took the full three hours for the younger
participants, although the three older children finished in two
hours. The introduction explaining what letterboxing is and
designing a stamp takes 45-60 minutes. The carving takes 30-60
minutes, and the hunting of 9 boxes takes 30-60 minutes. Exchanging
stamps took 15-30 minutes.

I keep the kit of temporary letterboxes and carving tools and
materials in a large plastic tub, along with geocaching class
supplies. I get a call to teach 3-4 classes each year around the
area. There seems to be about an equal demand for letterboxing and
geocaching classes. By the way, the local geocachers have also asked
for a class in how to make letterboxing stamps.

Thanks for the topic! I was glad to read what others are doing.
-Donna




Yahoo! Groups Links

-You are awesome!!!!! Thanks so much for the info and the ideas. I don't think I will
getinto the carving aspect but will being mastercarve and some tools as well as the other
stuff to show them whatnit looks like. I love the idea of having different box styles for the
temp boxes. You are brilliant!

Lisa
>
> Yikes!
>
> I was exhausted just reading that. Calgon Take Me
> Awaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaay.......
>
> Nobody can't say you didn't try to cover all the bases. I would've been one
> of those who runs with scissors and is dangerous around sharp objects.
>
> ~~ Mosey ~~
>
> -----Original Message-----
> From: letterbox-usa@yahoogroups.com
> [mailto:letterbox-usa@yahoogroups.com]On Behalf Of Donna
> Sent: Thursday, May 10, 2007 2:30 PM
> To: letterbox-usa@yahoogroups.com
> Subject: [LbNA] Letterboxing at the Library
>
>
> This past March I taught a letterboxing class at one of our local
> libraries. The librarian and I limited the class to 10 stamp-makers.
> Notice I did not say stamp-carvers. I had a box of student-sized
> squares of "MasterCarve" material, plus a lot of scraps to practice
> on, and 12 carving tools. I also had on hand some adhesive-backed
> foam sheets that could be cut with scissors and stuck onto a wood
> block. They are made by All American Graphics and are also available
> from the Dick Blick online art supply catalog where I buy
> the "MasterCarve" material. I opened the stamp-making class to anyone
> who felt safe with scissors and sharp tools, noting that there are
> some adults who don't meet that requirement. The librarian had
> purchased small spiral notebooks and "Ink Dot" stamp pads and pencils
> for each participant. She also had a supply of scrap paper and
> printouts of possible design ideas.
>
> There were 3 unaccompanied 10 to 12-year-olds who carved their own
> designs, 2 younger participants who carved under the supervision of
> parents, and a 4-year-old who drew a lovely design that was then
> carved by her mother. The scraps of "MasterCarve" material are very
> useful, for experimenting with the feel of how much pressure to use,
> and for trying out how thick to make a cut. No scrap is too small. A
> 7-year-old learned to carve small circular dots on a tiny scrap; her
> finished design included bubbles coming out of the mouths of her
> fish.
>
> The first time I taught a letterboxing class, I handed out the scrap
> paper and pencils and got designs too big to fit on the carving area
> or to stick onto the wooden blocks. Now I have the stamp-makers
> trace their block onto their scrap paper and make designs that fit
> within that space. I was impressed with two stamp-carvers who turned
> their squares to make diamond-shaped designs. I encourage beginners
> to make mostly dark designs with white lines, rather than try to
> carve raised lines to make a dark line on a white background.
>
> As for the letterboxes, I had 8 temporary boxes hidden around the
> library (inside and out on the grounds), with a single direction page
> written for each box. Borrowing one page at a time required the
> hunters to come back to the classroom between each find, and also
> eliminated multiple hunters ganging up on one box.
>
> Each temporary box illustrated a different kind of hide: a pair of
> Altoid tins wrapped together and using rare-earth magnets to stick to
> a hiding place, a birdhouse in the library courtyard, a "skirt-
> lifter" (a small box hidden under a streetlamp skirting box: when
> telling students about this kind of hide you should mention that
> wasps sometimes go into that kind of place), an army decon kit hidden
> up high with a string "pullied" over a branch, a box at the front
> desk that you must ask the librarian for, an "M 'n' M" tube wrapped
> with camo tape and hidden in an evergreen, an easter egg hidden in a
> potted plant, and a small box hidden in a decorative basket in an
> alcove in the classroom. If I had had time, I would have bought one
> of those fake books that is really a box which can hold small items,
> hidden on a bookshelf.
>
> The class began with me "creating" a letterbox and hiding it in the
> classroom. I showed how to create a set of directions, writing out
> the directions on a sheet of paper, then "posting" those directions
> on the table that represented our website full of clues. To my
> surprise, all of the students included that demo letterbox and its
> stamp in their finds for the day.
>
> By the time we finished exchanging stamps with each other, and
> hunting all of the library boxes, each participant had collected 16
> stamp images. I had six stamp-makers and two adult helpers and the
> librarian. I was very glad that the class did not fill to 10 stamp-
> makers. Everyone seems to need help with something at the same time.
>
> Allow at least an hour to hide the temporary boxes and write out the
> directions. The class took the full three hours for the younger
> participants, although the three older children finished in two
> hours. The introduction explaining what letterboxing is and
> designing a stamp takes 45-60 minutes. The carving takes 30-60
> minutes, and the hunting of 9 boxes takes 30-60 minutes. Exchanging
> stamps took 15-30 minutes.
>
> I keep the kit of temporary letterboxes and carving tools and
> materials in a large plastic tub, along with geocaching class
> supplies. I get a call to teach 3-4 classes each year around the
> area. There seems to be about an equal demand for letterboxing and
> geocaching classes. By the way, the local geocachers have also asked
> for a class in how to make letterboxing stamps.
>
> Thanks for the topic! I was glad to read what others are doing.
> -Donna
>
>
>
>
> Yahoo! Groups Links
>

Great work! Will the kids hide their own? Will they be hidden around
the library? I have to get a series out that my 4H kids did. I have
a feeling I'll be tromping out alone to hide them as I find my
families get so busy. But if they go to find their own, that will be
okay with me too.

I have to share a funny story. I went letterboxing in a little town
in South Carolina. One particular box was hidden in a very cool
little museum. It had been someone's home in the thirties, so the
design of the building was very funky (oh, to be rich). The
directions stated that the box was behind a 'door' which turned out
to be quite an elaborate Asian piece, but it wasn't there. As I
turned away from it, disappointed with no find, I saw the box behind
quite an urn. "Oh my," I thought to myself. "If this is from the
Ming Dynasty and I tip it over, I will lay down and die." The box
was SO BIG. It was kind a lunch box thing. I carefully got it out
from behind the urn and tippy toed into the basement area to stamp
up so I could be discreet with my lunch box. Upon opening the box,
I learned that it was hidden--with the permission of the museum--by
girl scouts. WHEW. I really worried about the placement of the box,
but since the museum knows about it, it must be okay with them that
it is behind that urn!

The wonderful thing about letterboxing is that it takes you to
places you wouldn't otherwise know about. To get to the museum, I
had to walk through an absolutely charming park. In the 'olden
days', before boxing, I wouldn't have even visited this particular
town, let alone find that park!


--- In letterbox-usa@yahoogroups.com, "Donna" wrote:
>
> This past March I taught a letterboxing class at one of our local
> libraries. The librarian and I limited the class to 10 stamp-
makers.
> Notice I did not say stamp-carvers. I had a box of student-sized
> squares of "MasterCarve" material, plus a lot of scraps to
practice
> on, and 12 carving tools. I also had on hand some adhesive-backed
> foam sheets that could be cut with scissors and stuck onto a wood
> block. They are made by All American Graphics and are also
available
> from the Dick Blick online art supply catalog where I buy
> the "MasterCarve" material. I opened the stamp-making class to
anyone
> who felt safe with scissors and sharp tools, noting that there are
> some adults who don't meet that requirement. The librarian had
> purchased small spiral notebooks and "Ink Dot" stamp pads and
pencils
> for each participant. She also had a supply of scrap paper and
> printouts of possible design ideas.
>
> There were 3 unaccompanied 10 to 12-year-olds who carved their own
> designs, 2 younger participants who carved under the supervision
of
> parents, and a 4-year-old who drew a lovely design that was then
> carved by her mother. The scraps of "MasterCarve" material are
very
> useful, for experimenting with the feel of how much pressure to
use,
> and for trying out how thick to make a cut. No scrap is too small.
A
> 7-year-old learned to carve small circular dots on a tiny scrap;
her
> finished design included bubbles coming out of the mouths of her
> fish.
>
> The first time I taught a letterboxing class, I handed out the
scrap
> paper and pencils and got designs too big to fit on the carving
area
> or to stick onto the wooden blocks. Now I have the stamp-makers
> trace their block onto their scrap paper and make designs that fit
> within that space. I was impressed with two stamp-carvers who
turned
> their squares to make diamond-shaped designs. I encourage
beginners
> to make mostly dark designs with white lines, rather than try to
> carve raised lines to make a dark line on a white background.
>
> As for the letterboxes, I had 8 temporary boxes hidden around the
> library (inside and out on the grounds), with a single direction
page
> written for each box. Borrowing one page at a time required the
> hunters to come back to the classroom between each find, and also
> eliminated multiple hunters ganging up on one box.
>
> Each temporary box illustrated a different kind of hide: a pair of
> Altoid tins wrapped together and using rare-earth magnets to stick
to
> a hiding place, a birdhouse in the library courtyard, a "skirt-
> lifter" (a small box hidden under a streetlamp skirting box: when
> telling students about this kind of hide you should mention that
> wasps sometimes go into that kind of place), an army decon kit
hidden
> up high with a string "pullied" over a branch, a box at the front
> desk that you must ask the librarian for, an "M 'n' M" tube
wrapped
> with camo tape and hidden in an evergreen, an easter egg hidden in
a
> potted plant, and a small box hidden in a decorative basket in an
> alcove in the classroom. If I had had time, I would have bought
one
> of those fake books that is really a box which can hold small
items,
> hidden on a bookshelf.
>
> The class began with me "creating" a letterbox and hiding it in
the
> classroom. I showed how to create a set of directions, writing
out
> the directions on a sheet of paper, then "posting" those
directions
> on the table that represented our website full of clues. To my
> surprise, all of the students included that demo letterbox and its
> stamp in their finds for the day.
>
> By the time we finished exchanging stamps with each other, and
> hunting all of the library boxes, each participant had collected
16
> stamp images. I had six stamp-makers and two adult helpers and the
> librarian. I was very glad that the class did not fill to 10 stamp-
> makers. Everyone seems to need help with something at the same
time.
>
> Allow at least an hour to hide the temporary boxes and write out
the
> directions. The class took the full three hours for the younger
> participants, although the three older children finished in two
> hours. The introduction explaining what letterboxing is and
> designing a stamp takes 45-60 minutes. The carving takes 30-60
> minutes, and the hunting of 9 boxes takes 30-60 minutes.
Exchanging
> stamps took 15-30 minutes.
>
> I keep the kit of temporary letterboxes and carving tools and
> materials in a large plastic tub, along with geocaching class
> supplies. I get a call to teach 3-4 classes each year around the
> area. There seems to be about an equal demand for letterboxing and
> geocaching classes. By the way, the local geocachers have also
asked
> for a class in how to make letterboxing stamps.
>
> Thanks for the topic! I was glad to read what others are doing.
> -Donna
>