Classroom Postcard Exchange

The Classroom Postcard Exchange encourages K-12 classes around the United States to connect with each other. Sign up to represent your state and send one postcard to each class on your list. Enjoy receiving postcards in return from those classes in other states!


Sign up:

Sign ups have closed for the 2023-2024 exchange. Check back here in July to sign up for the 2024-2025 exchange!

Check out these posts for ideas on doing a postcard exchange with your class:

Getting Postcards (and Stamps) for a Classroom Postcard Exchange
A common question I get asked is about where to get 50 postcards for this project. This post is a compilation of ideas from teachers on getting postcards and stamps for this project - from donations to creating your own!

Running a Postcard Exchange With Your Class
I am often asked what information to include in the letters on the postcards. My answer is that is completely up to you and what works for your class! I wanted to do a post about how I have done this project with fifth graders as well as kindergarteners. I also wanted to share ideas from other teachers across grade levels, so that is included at the end of this post. I hope this gives you some ideas for how to run this project with your class!

How I got involved with this postcard exchange:

Since my first year of teaching, I have challenged my class to work together to receive a postcard from each state by the end of the year. When I first started, the kids would ask friends and family to send postcards from states they lived in or visited, and we asked the sender to include a fact about that state on the postcard.

One summer teachers began connecting on Instagram and many postcard exchanges were formed between classrooms across the country. This went along perfectly with what I was already doing with my class. So in addition to asking friends and family to send postcards, we wrote to classes in other states and received postcards from them in return!

Participation grew, and I felt bad turning away teachers whose states were already filled. So I kept creating more and more lists - and here we are!

Happy exchanging!

73 comments:

  1. This will be so much fun!!! Looking forward to this!!! Thank you for all of your hard work!!

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  2. Love this! Are you planning on adding more sheets? All Washington State sheets are full! :(

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    1. Email me, and I'll figure something out! :) ... teachinbythebay@gmail.com.

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  3. I'm very disappointed because someone deleted my name and put there's in instead! Now there's no space for me :(

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    1. Oh no! Email me and we'll get it squared away... teachinbythebay@gmail.com.

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  4. I absolutely love this! Would it be possible to add another slot for Southern California? :)

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    1. Email me, and I'll figure something out! :) ... teachinbythebay@gmail.com.

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  5. That bottom one was actually a label I printed on! Made it super easy after the kids decided what we wanted to include!

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  6. Would love a first grad slot for AZ? Any chance?

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  7. Hey! I just got home from vacation and was about to sign up for the exchange....any chance I can still do this?? PLEASE!

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    1. Send me an email! teachinbythebay@gmail.com We still need participants from quite a few states (see the text in red in my post above). If you are not in one of those states, I know someone who is doing another exchange, and I'm sending people her way.

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  8. Is it too late to do it for this school year?

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    1. Unfortunately it is too late for this school year. Most classes have already sent their postcards, so if someone signed up now, I would worry that they wouldn't receive many (if any) postcards. Please do add your email address to the list so you can sign up for next year, though! :) Thank you for your interest in the exchange!

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  9. Can anyone help me locate my list number? Many thanks!

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    1. Hi! Sorry for the delayed response. I will be emailing everyone their lists this week. :)

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  10. I wanted to sign up for Kentucky, but not sure how to for sure get my name on the list!

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    1. Hi there! We'd love to have your class participate! Please email me your name, grade, school’s name, and school’s mailing address. My email address is teachinbythebay@gmail.com (...with no “g” in “teachin” 😊).

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  11. Hello, I would love to sign up. I teach 7th grade Geography in Roswell New Mexico. How do we get our name on the list??

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    1. Hi there! We'd love to have your class participate! Please email me your name, grade, school’s name, and school’s mailing address. My email address is teachinbythebay@gmail.com (...with no “g” in “teachin” 😊).

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  12. Hi,
    Will you be doing another post card exchange for the 2019-2020 school year? If so, I'd love to be a participant. My students and I enjoyed the one we were involved in this year. My email is christinanapoli7@gmail.com
    I am a teacher in New Jersey

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    1. Hi there! Yes we are! :) I just updated the link at the top of this page, so you can now sign-up. Looking forward to another great year!

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  13. Hi! I emailed you a few days ago requesting to be put on the 2019-20 list for CT. I am excited to be part of this awesomeness!

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    1. Hi! I just updated the link at the top of this page, so you can now sign-up. We are excited to have you join this year! :) (I think I emailed you back yesterday, but I have been responding to a lot of emails, so I wanted to reply on here, too, just to be sure!)

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    1. Awesome! If you haven't already signed up, there is a link to the form at the top of this page. We would love for your class to join us!

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    1. Awesome! CA is always a popular state - while the participation from CA teachers is awesome, it also unfortunately means that there is not room for many of the classes. This year there is another option for CA teachers: the California Classroom Postcard Exchange. Classes that participate in this state-specific exchange will exchange postcards with other classes in the different counties in their state. Please consider if this will work for your class this year. You can sign up for this through the sign up link at the top of this blog post.

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  16. Very interested! I am a 5th and 6th grade ELA teacher at a private school in Mississippi! I would love to do this!

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    1. Awesome! If you haven't already signed up, there is a link to the form at the top of this page. We would love for your class to join us!

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  17. Hello! I’m originally from Missouri, but I now own an English school in Spain and would love to get something like this going for my students. Do you know if there are international groups? I have kids of all ages and I love promoting the USA! :) Thanks!

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  18. Hi!!! I love this idea of a postcard exchange and am excited to be part of it for this upcoming school year. Is it possible to share this program more with the high school teachers so that maybe there would be more of them involved? Even big kids like to get mail too! :)

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    1. Definitely! This is open to K-12 classes. We've had several high school classes participate in the past. Please feel free to share with any high school teachers you think would be interested.

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  19. I’m interested in California. I am a 5th grade teacher!

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    1. Awesome! CA is always a popular state - while the participation from CA teachers is awesome, it also unfortunately means that there is not room for many of the classes. This year there is another option for CA teachers: the California Classroom Postcard Exchange. Classes that participate in this state-specific exchange will exchange postcards with other classes in the different counties in their state. Please consider if this will work for your class this year. You can sign up for this through the sign up link at the top of this blog post.

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  20. I’m interested!!! I teach 3rd grade in Florida

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  21. I’m interested in joining, I am a 3rd grade teacher in New York!

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  22. I teach 5th grade bilingual students in NJ. I'm interested!

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    1. Awesome! If you haven't already signed up, there is a link to the form at the top of this page. We would love for your class to join us!

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  23. I teach a bilingual class in Louisiana. I'm interested!

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    1. Awesome! If you haven't already signed up, there is a link to the form at the top of this page. We would love for your class to join us!

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  24. Replies
    1. Awesome! CA is always a popular state - while the participation from CA teachers is awesome, it also unfortunately means that there is not room for many of the classes. This year there is another option for CA teachers: the California Classroom Postcard Exchange. Classes that participate in this state-specific exchange will exchange postcards with other classes in the different counties in their state. Please consider if this will work for your class this year. You can sign up for this through the sign up link at the top of this blog post.

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  25. I have not received any notification that I was signed up..can you help me?

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    1. Hi there! You are automatically placed on a list as soon as you fill out the form. You can scroll though the lists under Step 2 of the sign up Doc. :)

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  26. I would love for my students to participate. I filled out the google form...is there a notification I will receive if my school is selected? Thanks!

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    1. Hi there! You are automatically placed on a list as soon as you fill out the form. You can scroll though the lists under Step 2 of the sign up Doc. If you are on a list, you should have received an email from me (check your spam folder if it's not in your inbox). If you are on the overflow list, I will email you if you are placed on a list. :)

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  27. Hi! I would love to sign my class up for Kentucky! How should I do that?

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    1. Great! You can still sign up through the link at the top of this post. :)

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  28. Hey! I am signed up for Arkansas but noticed we still have states without names. When do we start sending out our postcards?

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    1. Nevermind... apparently I put my name on a Google Doc but I just saw the link and added it to the Google Form. I am on track now!!

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  30. I would love to sign up for Texas for the upcoming year pls?

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    1. Hi! You can now sign up through the link at the top of this page. :)

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  31. I love this and am excited to sign up for 2020-2021!
    Laura McCracken
    Columbus, Indiana

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    1. Hi! You can now sign up through the link at the top of this page. :)

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  32. So excited about this!! I just signed up!
    Becky Spears
    Columbia, TN

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  33. I just finished the sign up for my elementary library. I can’t wait to get started. Annette Mitilieri from Sandwich, IL

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  34. I am so excited to start this year! I am signing up now. Carolyn Faulkner, Peoria, Illinois

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  35. I signed up, but don’t see my class on any of the lists. Hmm...

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    1. Hmm... Did you check the overflow list? You're automatically placed on a list as soon as you submit the form. If you're name isn't on any of the lists, it for some reason didn't go through, so try submitting the form again.

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  36. Can you please take me off the overflow list? Thank you!

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  37. I'm from Malaysia and I'm teaching the 4th grade..will you count me in?

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  38. For some reason, I can't find my final class list. I have been getting postcards and am ready to send ours out. My name is Cathy McIsaac and I teach 2nd grade in WA.

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    1. Hi Cathy! I just checked, and you are on the overflow list, so I'm not sure who the postcards are coming from. Unless you signed up for another postcard exchange, as well? Sorry I can't be of any more help...perhaps try reaching out to one of the teachers who sent you a postcard?

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  39. One of the teachers is on the overflow list, too. There's no email address, so don't know how to reach out.

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  40. Hi Erin!
    I'm on list #6 and when I look up my list, I can't see addresses. Could you help out?
    Thank you!
    Joyce

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  41. Hello,
    Is the a chance that someone from another country could take a part im this project?? For example from Poland😁.
    Thank You!

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  42. Hi!
    I'd love to be part of the 2024-2025 exchange!

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  43. I would also love to be a part of the 2024-2025 exchange!

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  44. I would love to be part of a 2024-2025 exchange. I work with elementary but also junior high/middle school aged students (12-13).

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  45. I would love to join a postcard exchange for the 2024-2025 school year! I'm in North Carolina. Am I too late to join?

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