the collector 2 by Lamerie on flickr

A world of opportunity opens up when you start to learn about a stamp. Philately takes something that you may generally take for granted to a whole other level. One of the more interesting educational hobbies, philately teaches us about history, geography, politics, and art, all inside the borders of a postage stamp.

Philately concerns the who, what, where’s, and whys of the small picture, making it much larger. For instance, some collections might include one or more of these categories:

• Olympics
• Sports figures
• Wildflowers
• A certain country
• National treasures
• Political figures
• Comic book characters
• Aircraft

It’s a lot of fun to talk with your children about these stamps. Far more compelling than just the removal of the paper from the back of the stamp, philately is a way of engaging in the past through pictorial imagery, and preserving it for the future.

Educational hobbies like philately are wonderful to hand from generation to generation. Happy collecting!

Visit USPS Stamp Collecting to learn more.

Instead, leave the educational for kids part out and let them discover that they’re having fun (gasp) learning!

• Kids are natural collectors. At least my boys were … don’t ask me what I found in their jeans pockets! (Laundry day was always an adventure.) Nurture their obsession with interesting rocks, feathers, sea shells or what have you, by providing them with a way to organize and display their collections.
• Rocks can be tumbled and polished and turned into unique jewelery or craft items.
• Interesting feathers can be used for fly tying. This intricate hands-on hobby builds hand-eye coordination and provides useful fly fishing lures.
• Sea shells can be used in or on photo frames, incorporated into furnishings, or if the shape is right … they make an interesting home for a hermit crab.
• History becomes real when kids get involved in stamp collecting. Think of all the stories that surround just one of our US postage stamps. Incorporate the stories into the stamp collection. Your child’s teachers will thank you!
• If your child is into baseball, by all means, encourage him or her to collect baseball cards. Here’s an opportunity to learn about the legends AND learn about negotiating and trading.

I’m sure this short list only scratches the surface. What educational and collectible hobbies do your kids enjoy?