Question: Is this safe? Answer: I try to make sure I get a short introduction from each family before they join,  I look for certain things when they write me. I try to keep us safe, but there is always a chance some one that shouldnt ends up joining by lieing. I can't guarantee what goes out via private email. So please be careful on what information you give out. I would recommend creating another email account to do this project to keep track. Do NOT post on the posts your snail mail address, do this only in personal email when trading. Dont give out your phone number. Do this with your kids even if they are older teenagers keep track of whats going on. If an email looks suspious or your getting spammed by another member to join their group or their business email me about it so I can check it out and try to take care of the problem.

Question: Help I can't handle the emails that come into my email box everyday! Answer: If you go to your membership page you can change yourself to "DIGEST" What that means is instead of indivdiual emails each day you will receive all those emails in one email for the day instead. You can also just go to "Special Notices" and you wont receive any email at all and just go to the Yahoo groups site and check the messages each day instead. This is recommended when you go on "Vacation" if you can't change this then email me and I will help you.

Question: Do I write on the postcards or send them out clean in an envelope? Answer: Most people perfer them to be written on. Its best to write facts about your country/state this is what its all about for kids to learn right? You can also do fun facts like for instance. Onion rings was first orginally made in San Antonio Texas at a restaurant called "Pig Stand" Its fun and I bet you didnt know that :) If they want a clean card in an envelope they will most likely ask you for it. Most times they do this because they are more professional traders and will trade your card later for something.

Questions: Can I wait to send out a card untill I get theirs? Answer: Well if you do this, and they do this as well, no one is going to get a card! Each will be waiting for a card that will never show up. Send out yours the week you made the exchange in good faith. I would keep good records on dates and times and I wouldnt send out more then one or two per family. If you dont hear back from them in a month I will email them. Check out the file that was sent to you automatically called, "Where is my card"

Question: How many times can I post to the group about myself and what cards I need? Answer: I would give it at least a week or longer, just don't post every day with the same request. Reintroduce yourself when you need new cards and you can handle the email load. Don't forget to keep watch on the emails coming in for new members and put yourself on the "DATABASE" so members can find you in your specific area.

Question: I notice some people post what is received and sent out do I have to do this too? Answer: No you dont infact its polite and much appreciated if you email each person via private email to let them know you got their postcard or you are sending theirs out. Some people are set up as "Special notices" which means they don't see each post each day so they might have missed the one you listed their name on, they would appreicate a private email instead. Most the people that do this is because they want to save time and document it someone that they sent these out or received them. Its up to you.

Question: My children are really young can they still do this? Answer: Yes! you can do the major work like keeping track and writing down the persons address on the postcards while they can paste things like your address to the cards if you have those address labels/stamp Also I would suggest printing out a basic fact about your state and cut it up and let your kids paste to the postcards. They can put the stamps on and place it on a scrapbook the notebooking might be harder for them to do so I recommend only the scrapbooking as they get older they can do the notebook. No matter what age they love to get their own mail.

Question: I have more then one kid can they all do this & exchange?     Yes though it may be a bit more difficult getting more then one card trade from one family especially if the familys in demand from a certain state or country; They can also do different themes which may help get a variety. I would do this as a project for all of them though to get the best and fastest results. Maps, notebooks, scrapbooks, take turns getting the mail from mail box, take turns writing and sending off the postcards, maybe one person does one side of the states another can do the other side. Join email postcard groups like Across America
Discover and explore America through this collection of postcards from a traveling family http://www.postcardsfrom.com/

Question: How many cards can I send to one person? Answer: You can send as many as many as you want and the person agrees too, however I wouldnt send more then two or three in case the person dosent come through and you will be out only one or two cards.

Question: I have more then one kid can I request more cards, also can they request different card themes? Answer: Its up to the family exchanging how many cards they want to exchange with you, they might be from a popular state/country or have a budget so please dont be upset if they say no thanks. Yes your kids can request different themes on the cards this is a wonderful idea.

Question: Do I have to send to everyone that request one? Answer: No you dont but ignoring the email is not nice either. Just tell them the truth, "I already have so many of your states and we don't need other thanks for thinking of us, or I can only send so many this week sorry." Just remember they can do the same to you too and if they have a special card one day from a special country and you ask to trade what do you think they are going to tell you?. So think twice before saying NO better yet let people know on the "Posts" what states/countrys you are looking for instead so you wont get bothered from states you dont need.

Question: What kind of cards can I send? Can I make my own? Can I send cards not from my state/country Answer: Any kind on your state is recommended suitable for children of course, hopefully something educational cause this is what its all about. Yes you can make your own cards but make sure you tell the person you are exchanging with that they are homemade they may not want those. Yes you can send from a neighboring state or postcards you got while on vacation just make sure you tell the person they are not postmarked from there.

Question: Do I send them postmarked or clean in an envelope? Answer: That depends on the people you are trading with ask them. If they dont care and you are sending more then one card its cheaper to send in envelope. Also some people love to have writing on them and info about the state others are more professional about it and want them clean, ask them , each person is different on how they want their cards sent to them.

Question: Do I need to put my address on the cards? Answer: It would be nice because after all they know your address they are suppose to be sending you a card too, but I would at least put my last name on the card so the family knows where and who its coming from.

Question: Where can I find postcards? Answer: Honestly the best place I have found them is Walmart. If you can't find them then ask sometimes they have them in odd places. Walgreens has them too and major bookstores like Borders. You can also find them at most major truck stops off the highways and some restaurants. Look for historical placess too. On our link page we have a few sites that sell them.

Question: How long do I have to send the cards out? Answer: I would send them out the day they are requested no longer then a week, this way they are fresh on your mind, if your a month late you might get in trouble and its not fair on the other kids that sent yours early. Dont forget about postage if you are sending overseas it will cost you more.

Question: Do I need to keep track on what goes out and comes in? Answer: Oh yes! please do so on a computer word document or notebook would be even better in case your computer crashes (I see this a lot!) Mark them when they go out the date/how many cards/ Last name of the person and their email address and when you received them.

Question: I sent someone a postcard and I got theirs but I think its rude that they don't let me know they got ours what can I do? Answer: If its bothering you so much then email them privately and ask them, if you post to the board they might miss it. Otherwise I wouldnt worry about it. Mark it on your records that you sent and received in case they do come back months later saying they didnt get your card and you will have it on file, otherwise I wouldnt worry about it anymore. I myself don't let people know I received their cards cause quite frankly I dont have the time but if someone writes me and ask did I receive it I will take the time to look for it and thank them for the nice card and hoped they received mine.

Question: I am on a budget and can only send so many each week/month is this a problem? Answer: No, its not a lot of us are on budgets where we can only send so many at a time just do your quoto for the week then put any other request on a waiting list. Just make sure to tell th person that wants the exchange you will email them when you get caught up just dont let them send you cards till your ready.

Question: I have a great weblink I would like to share with the group one is about homeschooling and the other is geography related can I share this? Answer: If its geography related and you dont see it on the link page already then yes please share it with us. However "No" on any other homeschooling weblink there are other yahoo groups for that lets just keep it geography related here. Thanks.

Question: I have a postcard group similar to Postcard kids can I advertise it on the posts? Answer: NO, in fact if you do you can get banned for adverstising to others on the Posts, especially if your caught telling them to join vial email and your not even exchanging with them. This is considered spamming and its not appreciated by me nor the members. However if you want there is a link page that advertises other postcard groups and your more then welcome to Post it in there. Also if its nothing to do with postcards but geography related like collecting stamps from different states please email me and I might consider introducing your group to our members via post.

Question: What Kind of cards can I collect? Answer: Most here collect state fact cards or historical cards, some have certain themes they like to collect like horse cards from each state or birds. Some are done with the states and stay on for the International as they slowly trickle in.

Question: What can I do with the cards when I get them? Answer: There are all kind of things to do with them we have a file section that will list it. Most people make either scrapbooks which is great for the younger and the older creates notebooking. You can go to my website and find out how to create these http://www.frugalcountrymom.com/postcardkids.html

Question: I have collected all 50 states in a scrapbook now what do I leave? Answer: We have been collecting for 2 years and have yet to get the same card twice yet, we have done a scrapbook and now are working on a notebook. There is a weblink on step by step instructions on making a notebook also on the files are tons of ideas on games to learn your geography with the postcards. Dont forget to print out the state certificates as you complete each state or Countrys. You can also start collecting certain themes too if you just love getting emails. Your free to leave and join later if you have other children as they get older so they can have their own collection.If you do leave don't forget to take yourself off the "DATABASE".

Question: Someone is late on their cards and its been over a month what do I do? Answer: Make sure you email them a few times personal email and if they don't answer back then try to post on the boards asking them to contact you. DO NOT ACCUSE THEM on the boards it could be a simple mistake perhaps the email couldnt get through to their personal email account a lot of people have blockers. If still no answer and its been way over a month and you did all above send information that you took down on them and send to the owner of Postcard clubs. Please just be patient I have over 650 members do the above first before you email me to complain about someone. If the email bounces back they are probably gone but make sure to tell the owner also so she can keep watch that if they do come back they will have give you your cards first before they rejoin.

Question: I just love this group and want to share with others can I? Answer: Yes please do so! Thats how we keep our membership growing here, if you tell people about it on another yahoo group just make sure its ok to do so by asking the owner of the group first. Otherwise it will be considering spamming and you might get in trouble.

Question: There are so many people from my state how can I be noticed more? Answer: Make sure self be noticed by having a variety of cards to trade and having a good description of them. In fact a lot of our old time members havent gotten free yahoo photo album and have taken pictures of what cards they have to trade. Check your emails often or the site especially since it will come there first before a digest to grab new people as they come in is another way to get people to cards fast. Be a good fast trader so you can get a good rep.

Question: I am from a state/Country that is very popular I wont be able to handle so many email request what do I do? Answer: I would watch the group first before introducing yourself and watch out what you want from other introductions or just check the "DATABASE" or after introducing yourself I wouldnt advertise to the group again untill your ready for more names. You might consider putting a waiting list for familys. A lot of our International Home School familys do this and it works out well, where everyone is happy.

Question: How long does it take to collect all 50 states? Answer: It took us 2years but we did this when ever it took our fancy. I have some members that have done this in a few months but they however used other groups as well, which are listed on our "LINKS page" Some states are just hard to find so I would ask maybe a family that knows truckers or knows family members that live there. Asking people that have troops abroad is another way to get postcards and I bet they would love getting mail just as much as your kids. Just take your time, this can take years, you dont have to do this in a semester unless that is what you want?

Question: I want mostly different countries is there a lot in this group? Answer: Everyonce in a while we get homeschoolers from different countrys. We get a lot from Europe, most of the other countries that we got they were missionary familys that were homeschooling. This was very rare. Not every country can homeschool. Your best bet is to stay in the group and wait and keep watch as people introduce themselfs. You can also join an adult Postcard Group that I know but chances are you are trading with an adult NOT a child. So be careful. This group is http://groups.yahoo.com/group/postcards-international

Question: Why isnt this just for Homeschoolers? Answer: It mostly is, when adults ask to join I tell them about Adult postcard groups instead I wont let them join,  however I do have a few grandma's in our group that joined our group after I have emailed them a few times and we have a few puplic school kids along with some teachers that are doing this for their students. If a child wants to learn about geography by postcarding and they are NOT homeschooled could you say no to them?

Question: Is the Postcard Owner still trading? Answer: Yes we do the best part of being the owner is we have the pick of the litter so to speak hehehe. It took us two years to do the scrapbook and now we are doing a notebook. We love watching Busters Postcards on PBS we have a lot of truckers in our family so we get a lot of cards.

Question: I want more foreign cards is there a lot Homeschoolers from abroad here? Answer: You have to understand that although homeschool is legal in the United States you may not find it in every country. They are really hard to find. I have been lucky in the past with our group from homeschoolers that were stationed overseas or missionarys that joined and exchange with us. If you are lucky and stay with the group you will find from time to time out of state postcards. If your not picky of the post mark some members may have some foreign cards to exchange that they got from family members or on their current trip. If your looking for foreign cards only I would suggest a International Post card group. Here is my favorite group. a smaller group is http://groups.yahoo.com/group/postcardsaroundtheplanet/  Be warned these one is for adults trading, http://groups.yahoo.com/group/postcards-international

Question: I havent got a postcard in a month from a family what now? Answer: You were sent a file called, "Where is my card" it will give you directions on what to do next. If you no longer have this file check out the "File" section under "Postcard kids auto file information"

Don't forget to check out the link pages in  it you will find all kinds of information on Geography-Puzzles, printouts, maps, other postcard groups, other email postcard groups, cams, cooking ideas for countrys and states, coloring pages for the little ones, flags, games to play online and create, lesson plans, unit studies, Extra geography ideas like, world clock website, time zones, time history, virtual tours, world climates, comparing your nation to other website etc..http://groups.yahoo.com/group/postcardkids/links

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Happy Postcarding!

Samantha Postcard Coordinator