Once again this year, we had the pleasure of introducing children to the world of stamps during the vacation week on behalf of BSV Bludenz. As last time, we realized that many children no longer had any associations with the word “stamps”. We therefore spontaneously decided to adapt our concept.
At the beginning, each of the 17 children was allowed to choose seven stamps from a large pile. In small groups, they then had to explain why they had chosen these stamps and what was on them. They then placed the stamps in the mouth of a snapping crocodile. When a tooth was pressed, the crocodile would randomly snap or not – which always led to great excitement. The child whose mouth snapped shut was allowed to take all the tokens out of their mouth. At the end, the children were allowed to take the “rescued” tokens home with them.
To give the day a philatelic depth, we presented a thematic exhibit. We told a story with philatelic material and actively involved the children by asking questions in between.
Another highlight was making collages – a wish of the children who took part last year. The children’s creativity was impressive and small works of art were created. It was difficult to choose which collages to turn into personalized stamps, but the children had the final say. These stamps will be sent to the children together with a group photo as a souvenir.
Finally, I would like to thank everyone involved, especially the team of supervisors from the Obdorf school in Bludenz. Without their support, we would not have been able to tame the lively crowd of children, even with breaks to let off steam. Thank you!