Hands around the World is an exchange of paper hands.  Students cut out and decorate their hands.  This Fall’s theme was chosen by the students of Andrea Ploc in Vienna, Austria.  After much deliberation they decided upon “Animals Around the World”.  This can be any type of animal.  For example: wild animals found in your area, domestic animals or favorite animals.  You can use our hand template, trace your own hand, draw a hand or... make a paw print!  Be as creative as you wish.

A paragraph (or series of paragraphs) from the class will be emailed to Imagiverse in advance of the exchange.  This paragraph will be posted with representative hand/pawprints.  If your children are too young to write, be sure to write on the hand the name of the animal depicted and any other information the child wishes to share with the other students.  For younger students, this is a great project to do with older “buddies” or take home to do with parents or siblings.

Hands/pawprints are to be cut out (unless the student is very young or unable to use scissors).  Hands must be received at Imagiverse no later than December 1st, 2009.  At that time, they will be distributed to the other participants.

On the back of each paper hand/pawprint, please include the following:

1. 1)Teacher name
   

2. 2)School
   

3. 3)City, State/Province, Country
   

4. 4)age of student(s)
   

5. 5)name of animal(s) depicted on front if students did not include name
   

6. 6)Optional: name of student may be included on front or back
   

(hint: if using a template hand/paw, use your computer or copier to print this info on the back of each before giving the paper to the students)

With your hands/pawprints, please include:

1. 1)a self addressed 9”x12” (or similar size) envelope and
   

2. 2)$5 cash. 
   

This envelope will be used to send hands/paws back to you.  Please make sure it is not too large, yet large enough to contain the hands that will be returned to you.  The $5 will cover postage for your envelope and the additional cost of mailing to schools in other countries.  If you are from a school outside the U.S., Imagiverse will cover the cost of your return postage.

If you are interested in participating in this exchange (or any Imagiverse Exchanges or Activities), and have not already done so, please register for our newsletter at:

Lighting the Spark

This is our email mailing list and registration is required so that we can reach you by email with exchange information.  Please DO NOT use a school email address. Schools periodically block incoming bulk emails and we no longer can send activity information to those addresses.

After you have registered for Lighting the Spark, please contact the Imagiverse Activity Coordinator, select “Fall 2009 Hands Around the World” as the subject and register for the exchange.  Again, please DO NOT use a school email address. 

You can have the hands/paws mailed to your school or home.  If you use the school address for the envelope, please check with your administrators to verify it is the correct address.  Many schools do not receive mail at the street address and mail addressed in that manner may be returned to sender.

Send your hands to:

Michelle Mock

Imagiverse Educational Consortium

P.O. Box 7743

Norco, CA 92860

Please remember to send the hands so that they are received at Imagiverse by the December 1st deadline.  Once I have distributed the hands, I have nothing to send to people who send theirs late.

Note:  the theme for this exchange was previously “holidays”.  That theme is now the theme for “Fall 2009 Children of the World”.