Become a Pen Pal

CreateLearnBe HealthyLaughUnplug For A Cause®Unplugged Village™Travel
Written By Claudia Erickson

Writing letters by hand or on a typewriter is a fun way to spend time unplugged. It’s also the perfect activity for a classroom or small group project where you teach kids this valuable skill and how to connect on another level. You can:

  • Pick a school in another part of the city, country or even overseas.

  • Cheer up residents of a local senior center with letters.

    Kids can learn what it was like before technology took hold of our world and the elderly can hear what it’s like for today’s kids. If you happen to have an old typewriter (or find one on Craig’s List), pull that out and let the kids see how it works.

Did you know that February 26 is Letter to an Elder Day ?

HERE are some letter writing prompts with options for intergenerational and student to student Pen Pals.

HERE is a one sheet for “how to” unplug and start writing.

HERE is a fill-in-the-blank letter template and instructions to start a Pen Pal project for children under 10.

Writing letters to elderly people in nursing homes - on Staten Island for Global Day of Unplugging.

Claudia Erickson

Claudia Erickson is Co-Founder, Co-Executive Director of Programs and Partnerships and serves as the Board President. With a bachelor’s degree in social work and master’s in public health Claudia has over 30 years’ experience working in maternal child health for businesses such as San Diego State University, Scripps, Children’s Hospital, the San Diego Police Foundation and the San Diego Chapter of the American Academy of Pediatrics. Her work experience spans various public health issues from STD prevention, immunization education, breastfeeding, cyber-safety and literacy. She started the Unplugged Village®, now an initiative of the Unplug Collaborative, to empower people to mobilize their communities to spend less time with technology, and more time increasing authentic human connection. Activities and events have included everything from craft and trivia nights, pop up comedy shows to unplugged dining nights and scavenger hunts. Claudia is available for digital well-being speaking engagements (online or in-person) as well as event activations.

Previous

STEM Wikki Stix Ideas
Next

Urban Scavenger Hunts