For the last three months, we have been enjoying receiving letters from Post From The Past. If you’re not familiar with these then do read on; they have been a great addition to our home education and have given us some great ideas to work on as short studies in the month to help break up the larger projects we work on.
What is Post From The Past
Post From The Past is a monthly letter that is sent to you that features a historical person who has has an impact on the world be it a scientist, author, inventor, adventurer or historical political figure. The letters are written from the viewpoint of the individual and are really excellently done. Each monthly letter is £6.95 with postage included. You can buy past letters for £10.
What Do You Recieve with Your Letter?
Each letter comes on premium paper in a beautiful brown kraft paper style envelope. The envelope is very distinctive and my children are excited when it lands with us. Each letter is double-sided and illustrated and the font used changes each month to reflect the individual. A photograph is also included of the historical figure which is a really lovely touch.
There is also an option to add on an activity pack for £2. These are packed full of ideas such as recipes, and additional information sheets. The Queen Victoria pack is offered for free so you can have an idea of the type of resources. I personally think these are great value at just £2 and can also be used as a standalone if you don’t have the letter.
Each letter is expertly written with stacks of information included as well as giving it an authentic voice from that individual. They are very well written and I’m in awe of how well researched they are and the sheer volume of information that is packed into the, without it feeling forced or unnatural.
Do We Enjoy it?
As I’ve mentioned above, when these letters arrive the children are really excited to see who they will be learning about and it is a great opportunity to stop and take a slower half an hour to sit back and listen whilst I read aloud the letter to them. I then store them in a folder and the older two have been going back to them to re-read and enjoy.
I am impressed with everything about these letters from the quality of the paper and illustrations to the writing style and information contained. The accompanying activity packs are excellent too and really give a little something extra to these letters.
How We Incorporate Post From The Past into our Home Education
One of the things we do is to learn through projects so we tend to have a biggish project on the go at any one time. The Post from the Past letters are perfect for switching up what we are doing and adding in a shorter more specific and focused project to break up our longer studies. They are also an opportunity to take a step onto a path I hadn’t previously considered. For example, the current letter, Laura Ingalls Wilder, will inspire a short USA study as well as a look at more classical forms of cooking and we plan to have a go at making our own butter. We will also read one of the books and I hope to get the older children to compare the style of writing to today’s books that they read.
Learn More
You can learn more about Post from the Past here on their site.
There is also the option to purchase past letters here. I am hoping to get the Shakespeare one to fit our Tudors and Elizabethan studies and possibly the Nelson Mandela one.
It’s also worth following their Instagram feed for details of forthcoming letters.
Sounds a really good idea and great for learning inspiration