I have never traveled out of my country, sad but true. While I hope to do so in the future, since becoming a parent, my main focus is on saving enough money so that my son gets to see the world as he grows. I was brought up in a very protective bubble in a small town and it was only when I met my husband who had traveled and who was extremely "street-smart" did I realize that the world is so diverse and that I'm not the norm - people do things different from culture to culture and religion to religion. I want my son to know this.

When my son turned two I stumbled upon this amazing concept, called Sharing Love Notes From Around The World. The idea is to get someone in a foreign country to write your "note" out and take a photo of it, preferably with something special from their country in the background. The note I got people to write was directed at my son and read"

"Noah, mommy and daddy love you all the way to _________ (name of country) and back!"

I am currently using the pictures I have collected to compile a mini travel encyclopedia for my son, with facts about the countries and places found in the photos. I thought this was such a fun way for him to 1. know that we love him very much and 2. a personalized way for him to discover and learn about the world that I hope he will get to travel himself in future.

Here are some example of what I have collected:

Educators could do a similar project with the kids in their class, to help them connect with the world and to learn about different countries at the same time!

The project could be to encourage each student/pupil to obtain a note from a family member who lives in a different town or country to them. In this case the note could read something like: 

"Dear Sweetpea High School , greetings from Alaska!" <

The idea would be for them to encourage whoever is taking the photo to included something traditional to their country in the photo, or a famous landmark in the background. These photos can be used in Show and Tell, an essay or a Geography lesson. It is a very productive way to get the children more actively involved in learning about the world, and I think they will have fun doing it too!

You as a teacher could also take matters into your own hands if you prefer, and create a pin board in the classroom with photos you have collected addressed to you, the school or the class you teach. If this is the case i can refer you to an amazing Facebook Group where you can trade photos and notes, which will help you build your collection much faster. The group is called: Little Love Notes From Around The World

Enjoy your "travels"!

Thank you and much love - @sweetpea

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