Suggestions Wanted For Promoting Youth Collecting

I am really wanting to promote stamp collecting to young people. Does anyone have any suggestions to reach out to groups, individuals, schools, clubs to help in this endeavor? My sons daycare center that has kids up to age 12 said I could post a flyer for my stamp clubs upcoming bourse in October. They also said next summer I could come and talk to the school age kids about stamps.

I think the best way would be the hands on approach of being able to talk to each group in person. You might try to find a way to get a flyer into the hands of each young person so they could share it with their parents to see what you are doing,.


Butch

Dude:

I would advise you to target the children eight years of age and up. In my experience, the under eight children are too immature to work with stamps.

David

Butch,
I would definitely want each child to get a flyer or info sheet, that way they can decide if stamps interest them before their parents can decide for them.

David,
I think one on one with 8 and under would be best. That way you can take your time and get their interest.

thank you both for the suggestions and pointers.

i did not know about stamps or stamp collecting until I spotted one of those Junior Scott International albums with the red fabric binder in a friend of mines room..once I looked at it I was off to the races.. one child can influence another in a positive way..in the 6th grade 3 of us even started a stamp club in school !

I have grandchildren and their friends who are doing basic collecting--they seem drawn to the TOPICALS-the girls like the butterflies, dolls, animals, etc. The boys like the Star Wars, Space, and sports stamps.
Gussyboy1

Here's another idea that I found on the stamp collecting roundup website:

Tuesday, November 23, 2010
Club Putting Together a Stamp Collecting "Country Fair"
In the United States Army there is such a thing known as a "Country Fair."

These are training exercises that consist of several stations where soldiers learn first aid, map reading, weapons assembly/disassembly as well as other topics.

Individual or small groups go through the various stations and are receive instruction. When finished they move on the next station.

The Glendale/La Crescenta, CA stamp club is putting together something similar for local Boy Scouts to earn their stamp collecting merit badge and as a way for others in the community to learn about the hobby.

The club has come up with four stations, that after completing, individuals will know a great deal about the hobby and fulfill the scout merit badge requirements.

At station one, participants learn about the history of stamps and stamp collecting.

At station two, they find out about types of albums (commercial, homemade) and stock books as well as various ways of collecting stamps - i.e. geographical, topical, etc.

At station three, they are introduced various types of stamps, covers, use of catalog and the factors that affect value.

At station four, they get a demonstration on the tools of the hobby - tongs, hinges, glassine envelopes, watermark fluid, magnifying glasses, etc. They also get hands on soaking stamps.

The club plans to hold these twice a year.

For more on scout merit badges, click here.

This picture is from an India stamp exhibition but a similar type of picture could be taken anywhere.

A young girl interested in the stamps displayed, studying them, they are interesting, she wants to get close to them, to have them herself.

Note the stamps do not show what they are exactly, could be common stamps.

The Display is under plastic, promoting the Good Idea of keeping stamps Safe and that they are Valuable.

As noted above, kids copy other kids. Showing pictures of kids collecting stamps is perhaps better than showing pictures of adults collecting.

They may want to grow up to be like an adult but if other kids do it then it must be OK and they will want to do it.

Hi! stamperdude.

We are about to give 2kgs of rejected Aust dec stamps off paper to the local school teacher that includes cut and paste in her school day.

Will see what happens. Maybe it will grow into something! John

That's an excellent Idea John.

I think I may try that one myself.

Dianne

Maybe you could talk your local library into a once a month club for kids. The room should be free to use and you may get free publicity at the library through its monthly newsletter. Then of course you would have to man it when the club meets. I know my library does a sports card club and the kids get snacks and such while answering sports trivia for free cards,

Maybe we should force our kids to be coin collectors, they will rebel and become stamp collectors to spite us. LOL!!

There are some good ideas mentioned.

All I could add is kids with an already strong interest in Geography & History would be the best most likely to develop an interest in stamp collecting. There are other studies that would work, but I fell these to are the best starters. Local club &/or the A.P.S. could start up programs that would work with grade school districts through their teachers encouraging the use of stamps as a learning tools.

That's funny warrehouse.

Make it a "house rule" -- no stamp collecting allowed, then just see how many stamps are hidden in their rooms

A stamp album with page after page of row after row of stamps is not very inspiring to most young people. The Martin Luther King stamp mounted on a card with excerpts from his "I had a dream" speech. The Gettysburg Address with a Lincoln stamp. A sheet with the founding fathers contributions and stamps depicting them. The Iwo Jima stamp on a card with a picture of the island and the number of casualties for U.S. and Japan. Selected 1938 Prexies with short bio. Just a few thoughts.
Edit added image

My daughter's nursery (3-5 yr olds) were looking for ideas from parents, so I have just suggested they do a postal topic. The teacher seemed keen, I think they are going to visit the local Post Office (very close by), have a visit form the Postman, post something home to themselves so they see it go into the postbox and then arrive at their house, and I am going to give them some stamps to play around with. I'm viewing these as "sacrificial" as they will no doubt end up gluestuck to something , but at least they will have been sacrificed in a good cause!

Talk to your local library and book a room there to hold a young stamp collectors day. Advertise in advance in a local paper and in the library/school/supermarket bulletin boards and se what happens.