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We would like to thank BMG from Wisconsin, DJB from Virginia, MRS from North Carolina, JW from New Mexico and JVP from Oregon for the boxes, bags and envelopes stuffed with stamps.  Every stamp counts!  One box that we counted yesterday had over 19,000 stamps in it.  what a boost to our numbers!

General Pulaski

Link to Polish Stamp: General Pulaski

Help Us On Our Quest to Collect One MLLION Stamps

Colfax Elementary School students are attempting to collect a million stamps. The current count is nearly 2/3 of a million.  The students are using the stamps to study science, math, history and literature.  They are accepting cancelled USA and foreign stamps.  They will also accept your old stamp collections that you no longer want.  Please help them collect! 

 

HOW THIS PROJECT ORIGINATED

 
The Stamp Network project began in March of 2011 when a student brought a gallon-sized plastic bag half-full of aluminum can pull tabs.  A group of second, third and fourth graders as well as two middle school classes performed some estimating activities using the tabs.  It quickly became evident that the concept of “one million” is very elusive to many children - as well as to some adults.  So to help us conceptualize a million, we decided to collect a “million of something” that met the following criteria:

           

      The item had to be considered “free” for anyone to collect. It had to be small since storing a million of something could become an issue.  The million items had to be utilized in making/building/designing  “something” that could be contributed to our school or community, or, the item(s) could be sold and the proceeds used to develop or support a worthwhile project in our school or community.

It was a pretty simple plan.  Stamps started pouring in by the tens of thousands.  We received bags of stamps, boxes of stamps and stamp albums that people no longer wanted.  We collected USA stamps and stamps representing over 160 foreign countries. That first year we had 150,539 stamps, the second year 230,893 and in May of this year our total was (to be updated soon!)

 
We set up a blog to showcase some of the more interesting stamps in our collection and enable parents and community members to track the collection process.  We did well with the blog the first year but, with the overwhelming number of stamps that came in during the next two years, the blog did not get much attention.  It is our goal this year to revive the blog!  You can access it at amillionstamps.blogspot.com

 
Students in grades 1-6 can become members of the The Stamp Network by collecting stamps and/or by working one recess a week to count, cut, sort and do research on interesting stamps. Students who choose to work during recess must complete an application and have it signed by a parent and a teacher before they can be interviewed. If they are hired, they will be paid with play dollar bills which they can use for purchasing items from The Stamp Network Store.  For questions or comments contact Mrs. Keltner at beverlyk@colfax.k12.wi.us.

If you have stamps or know someone who may be willing to collect stamps or donate their collection, please contact Mrs. Keltner.  Stamps can be given to any K-6 student or turned in to the office.  We have some friendly competition and reward the top classes with a small treat.  

Help Us During the Holiday Season

The holiday season is upon us.  If you send or receive cards, please help us by saving those stamps!  As well as saving the ones you receive, you might also slip a little note in the card you send asking the recipient to save the stamp for you.  An example:

Colfax Elementary School students are attempting to collect a million stamps. The current count is over one half million - 581,264 stamps.  The students are using the stamps to study science, math, history and literature.  They are accepting cancelled USA and foreign stamps.  They will also accept your old stamp collections that you no longer want.  Please help them collect!  

2016-17 UPDATE ON OUR STAMP COLLECTING COUNT

The total number of stamps at the end of the 2016-17 school year was 578,264.  Yeah, we are over half way to a million!  We're on the downhill run!

HOW THIS PROJECT ORIGINATED

HOW THIS PROJECT ORIGINATED

The Stamp Network project began in March of 2011 when a student brought a gallon-sized plastic bag half-full of aluminum can pull tabs.  A group of second, third and fourth graders as well as two middle school classes performed some estimating activities using the tabs.  It quickly became evident that the concept of “one million” is very elusive to many children - as well as to some adults.  So to help us conceptualize a million, we decided to collect a “million of something” that met the following criteria:

           

Ø  The item had to be considered “free” for anyone to collect.

Ø It had to be small since storing a million of something could become an issue.

Ø The million items had to be utilized in making/building/designing  “something”

that could be contributed to our school or community, or, the item(s) could be sold and the proceeds used to develop or support a worthwhile project in our school or community.

It was a pretty simple plan.  Stamps started pouring in by the tens of thousands.  We received bags of stamps, boxes of stamps and stamp albums that people no longer wanted.  We collected USA stamps and stamps representing over 160 foreign countries. That first year we had 150,539 stamps, the second year 230,893 and in May of this year our total was 578,264.

We set up a blog to showcase some of the more interesting stamps in our collection and enable parents and community members to track the collection process.  We did well with the blog the first year but, with the overwhelming number of stamps that came in during the next two years, the blog did not get much attention.  It is our goal this year to revive the blog! amillionstamps.blogspot.com

K-6 students can become members of the The Stamp Network by collecting stamps and/or by working one recess a week to count, cut, sort and do research on interesting stamps. Students who choose to work during recess must complete an application and have it signed by a parent and a teacher before they can be interviewed. If they are hired they will be paid with play dollar bills which they can use for purchasing items from The Stamp Network Store.

We're Back!

(Note:  This is an old post from the end of the 2013-14 school year.)
We have been so busy collecting, counting, cutting, doing research on, and categorizing  stamps that we have totally neglected this blog.  It is the goal of The Stamp Network to activate it again and keep it up-to-date.

The Stamp Network is a group of  K-6 students who volunteer one recess a week to work for The Stamp Network.  During the 2013-14 school year, 78 students were "employed" by The Stamp Network.  

At the end of the 2013-14 school year we were approaching the 1/3 of a million mark but didn't quite make it.  Our total was 311,975.  Now we have only 688,025 more to go!

The student employees must complete an application form and have a recommendation from a teacher and be signed by a parent.  They are interviewed by the adult coordinator and, when possible, a group of student members of The Stamp Network.

HELP

We have hundreds of thousands of  stamps that need to be trimmed.  If you like volunteering for a worthy cause, please consider trimming stamps for The Stamp Network.  Nearly 100 K-6 grade students work in The Stamp Network for one recess each week.  They simply can not keep up counting, cutting, sorting and doing research on the stamps.  You may work at home at your own pace - no pressure.  Just stop in, get some stamps, trim them and return them to school when you are done.  Currently we have nine adult volunteers.  Most of them love it and some are becoming addicted!  They are learning so much from the research they do on interesting stamps that they feel compelled to check out!  Thank you volunteers!