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Here's A Fun Project For Your Kids: Send NPR A Postcard!

Photo illustration by LA Johnson/NPR

It's our job to report on the big changes happening as millions of students are out of school and learning at home or online. We know for every child, that experience is different:

Summer camp is canceled. The school year ended weeks early. No one knows what fall is going to be like. "Virtual" graduation ... zoom classes. A lot of the things that were "normal" have changed. Face it, your kids are dealing with a lot these days.

So, parents, here's your way to help us tell that story. Or, rather, show it! To do that, we're going "old school," reaching back to the 19th century for a tried-and-true technology:

The postcard. (Or, basically just a 3 x 5 card.)

Have your child draw, paint, sketch us a picture or collage that shows us:

  • What life is like right now
  • What an online class is like or how piano/soccer/ballet, etc. lessons have changed
  • What do summer plans look like?
  • What they miss most about "regular" school
  • A project they're working on to stay active and have fun
  • Anything else about life in this new situation
  • And, then, on the back, have them write us a little postcard note (or if they're too little, adults can help): "Dear NPR ..." that explains their picture, and then send it in to us. Not with a stamp — Hey, it's 2020, right!

    Take a photo of the front and the back of your child's postcard and — as their parent or guardian — email to us, at npred@npr.org and put "postcard" in the subject line

    Include your child's first name and the town or city and state where you live. We'll pick out some of our favorites and post them up on NPR.org.

    (Please note: by sending in your child's postcard, you grant NPR a non-exclusive, perpetual, irrevocable, universal license to use, publish, or display the postcard on npr.org or on NPR's social media channels)

    Copyright 2021 NPR. To see more, visit https://www.npr.org.

    LA Johnson is an art director and illustrator at NPR. She joined in 2014 and has a BFA from The Savannah College of Art and Design.
    Steve Drummond heads up two teams of journalists at NPR. NPR Ed is a nine-member team that launched in March 2014, providing deeper coverage of learning and education and extending it to audiences across digital platforms. Code Switch is an eight-person team that covers race and identity across the network, and in an award-winning weekly podcast.