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Family Matters:  letterboxing-the perfect family hobby  |
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shmeg
True Blue Farmgirl
222 Posts
Megan
Granville
Ohio
USA
222 Posts |
 Posted - Apr 05 2007 : 07:13:13 AM
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I wanted to post a bout one of our new family hobbies that we started doing last summer. It is the perfect combination of hiking, exploring, and a craft. It is called letterboxing. There are two good websites to learn more about it.
www.letterboxing.org
www.atlasquest.com
I love it, my husband loves it, and the kids love it. There are varying degrees of difficulty to suit everyone in the family and there are letterboxes everywhere! I bet many of you have walked by them and never even knew it. I realize I'm not giving any details and you don't knwo what I'm talking about. To be brief, it involves getting clues to a certain letterbox and following those directions until you find where it is hidden. Once you find it(a letterbox usually consists of a booklet, and a handmade stamp) you stamp your own handamde personal stamp into the book and stamp the letterbox stamp into your own book. Check out the websites, it really is a lot of fun!
-Megan
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Mumof3
True Blue Farmgirl
3890 Posts
Karin
Ellenwood
GA
USA
3890 Posts |
Posted - Apr 05 2007 : 07:44:01 AM
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How cool. Very interesting website and I love the idea! There are so many hidden near me. We might just have to start a group and go adventuring!!
Thanks so much for the link, Megan!
Karin
Wherever you go, there you are. |
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Mikki
True Blue Farmgirl
1510 Posts
Mikki
Austin
Indiana
USA
1510 Posts |
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abbasgurl
True Blue Farmgirl
1262 Posts
Rhonda
USA
1262 Posts |
Posted - Apr 05 2007 : 11:20:31 AM
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Megan, Thanks so much for sharing this idea. It's very new to me, but sounds like great fun! I'm going to introduce the idea to my sons, and also to our BSA troop. I can see this being a big hit with both! Thanks again!
Rhonda
I'm a one girl revolution. |
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KYgurlsrbest
True Blue Farmgirl
4853 Posts
Jonni
Elsmere
Kentucky
USA
4853 Posts |
Posted - Apr 05 2007 : 11:30:37 AM
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This looks so interesting. I sent the link to my home email so I can "investigate" it more when I get home. There are several "spots" in my area, so I'm really interested in figuring this out.
What a great thing to do as a family! Heck, my dh and I can do it, right?
"In the spring, at the end of the day, you should smell like dirt." Margaret Atwood
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bramble
True Blue Farmgirl
2044 Posts
2044 Posts |
Posted - Apr 05 2007 : 11:49:32 AM
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We did it with the Scout Troop and it was alot of fun. One of the sites was the Princeton Cemetary where several presidents are buried and other "dignitaries". Our area has alot of colonial history so we were fortunate to learn some interesting facts along the way and it was fun listening to the boys put their heads together to solve some of the clues.
Anybody up in Ct...there is a box at Caprilands Herb Farm (or atleast there used to be!)
with a happy heart |
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abbasgurl
True Blue Farmgirl
1262 Posts
Rhonda
USA
1262 Posts |
Posted - Apr 05 2007 : 12:06:15 PM
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Oh bramble...I used to order from Caprilands years ago. I'd forgotten all about them! Sounds like you are near the farm? You lucky girl! 
Glad to hear your scouts liked this so much. I'm excited to introduce it to our group!
Rhonda
I'm a one girl revolution. |
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Bluewrenn
True Blue Farmgirl
1122 Posts
Erin
Texas
USA
1122 Posts |
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shmeg
True Blue Farmgirl
222 Posts
Megan
Granville
Ohio
USA
222 Posts |
Posted - Apr 05 2007 : 1:09:56 PM
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Mikki- everybox you find will have its own stamp in it, that you put in your own log book. The stamps are hand-carved and some are really amazing. They usually have something to do with the location. There is also a book with the box that you put your own stamp in. Sometimes a box will have what's called a hitchhiker in it, which is a travelling stamp that you take and place in another letterbox. Like bramble mentioned you also can learn a lot of history about the area as well. The letterboxing website should be able to answer most of your questions. You can make your own letterboxes too. My sister is traveling to VA over Spring break with her family and to break up the car ride they are stopping for soem boxes. One is called "nobody puts baby in the corner" and is at the resort that Diry Dancing was filmed. Isn't that funny? Anyway, I hope you all try it and have as much as we have. My husband has even done some on his lunch break that are near his work. Have fun with it!
-Megan |
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littlegreen
True Blue Farmgirl
68 Posts
Katelyn
Spanish Fork
UT
USA
68 Posts |
Posted - Apr 05 2007 : 1:23:21 PM
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This sounds SO cool! I looked up our city and there's at least 20 near us... Very cool. Now my biggest question is, do I handcarve my own stamp and do I just do anything I want or something that says something about me? this is sooo cool! Who has carved their own before? post pictures so I have an idea what to do!
This should be fun for my husband and I this summer!
www.littlegreendesigns.com ~ handbound blank books, purses, jewelry, and other fun stuff for the naturist in you! |
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shmeg
True Blue Farmgirl
222 Posts
Megan
Granville
Ohio
USA
222 Posts |
Posted - Apr 05 2007 : 1:29:14 PM
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| I'll post some pictures of our stamps and some we've found. Some people buy them but I think it is definitely more fun to make your own. You can get supplies at just about any craft store. Your stamp can be anything you want it to be. |
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shelle
True Blue Farmgirl
404 Posts
Shelle
oklahoma
USA
404 Posts |
Posted - Apr 05 2007 : 4:24:46 PM
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This is so cool! I wish that there was something like this when my kids were little. It would have been so fun to do with them.
Shelle
http://janzenfamilyjournal.blogspot.com/ |
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happymama58
True Blue Farmgirl
1210 Posts
Patti
Missouri
USA
1210 Posts |
Posted - Apr 05 2007 : 5:09:49 PM
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Very similar idea to this is geocaching. Dh got a gps system for Christmas a few years ago, and this is tons of fun. There are websites about this. Sometimes these are letterboxes, but sometimes it's something else. Once, dh found a journal you were to add to and leave behind; another time it was to an artesian well that we'd never found otherwise; that sort of thing. It's lots of fun, too.
Some people search for happiness; others create it.
Please visit me at www.marykay.com/pmiinch |
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daffodil dreamer
True Blue Farmgirl
805 Posts
Jayne
Hamilton
Victoria
Australia
805 Posts |
Posted - Apr 05 2007 : 5:26:24 PM
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Megan,
That sounds like such great fun - I wonder if there are any in Australia?
At first, I thought you meant dropping off junk mail. That is what letterboxing is here - you know the people that are paid to deliver catalogues and stuff? So I had to read more to find out!
Have fun with it!
Best wishes,
Jayne |
Edited by - daffodil dreamer on Apr 05 2007 5:27:46 PM |
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shmeg
True Blue Farmgirl
222 Posts
Megan
Granville
Ohio
USA
222 Posts |
Posted - Apr 05 2007 : 6:08:32 PM
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Yeah Patti, I've heard about geocaching and sometimes they are the same box. Apparently letterboxing started over 100 years ago in Dartmoor England. Smithosain did an article about 10 years ago and up sprang the computer ages version all over the place.
Jayne, I looked up the other international letterboxes on the website an dthey were at least 15-20 in Australia. Maybe some are in your area.
-Megan |
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Vintage Redhead
True Blue Farmgirl
233 Posts
Kaylyn
Saint Charles
IL
USA
233 Posts |
Posted - Apr 05 2007 : 9:36:43 PM
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OMGoodness! I checked my region - I can't even catch up with what popped up! In my "tri-cities" area alone - a 5-mile radius - there are 15. In my county there are nearly 50. There are 25 more in my hometown and vicinity. These numbers do not even include "multiple" placements. I can't wait to tell my DSs about this - I think they're going to love it! ~ K
~ Kaylyn ~ (Living in Suburbia with a FARMGIRL Heart!)
My Cause: http://nickspavilion.blogspot.com/
My Life: http://vintageredhead.blogspot.com |
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Beemoosie
True Blue Farmgirl
2077 Posts
Bonnie
New York
USA
2077 Posts |
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UrbanChick
True Blue Farmgirl
331 Posts
Ayako
Atlanta
GA
USA
331 Posts |
Posted - Apr 06 2007 : 05:05:01 AM
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This is great. I'm going to let our Boy scout troop know about this. I found a ton of places near me. Thanks for sharing.
"Courage dosen't always roar. Sometimes courage is the quiet voice at the end of the day saying: I will try again tomorrow." |
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shmeg
True Blue Farmgirl
222 Posts
Megan
Granville
Ohio
USA
222 Posts |
Posted - Apr 06 2007 : 05:15:51 AM
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You're so welcome! I'm so glad that people are excited about it. You all will have to let me know when you've found your first letterbox. One article I read about it said "you have to be careful not to let the muggles see you." And its funny because you feel like you are part of some secret group or something. Can't wait for the weather to break so I can do some. Have fun everyone!
-Megan |
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Beemoosie
True Blue Farmgirl
2077 Posts
Bonnie
New York
USA
2077 Posts |
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KYgurlsrbest
True Blue Farmgirl
4853 Posts
Jonni
Elsmere
Kentucky
USA
4853 Posts |
Posted - Apr 06 2007 : 06:50:12 AM
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I went home last night and showed my husband your links....he's REALLY excited, and said, "I could design our own stamp, and we'll get it cut at Hathaways"...and wanted to see how many clues were in the Cincinnati area (a LOT)!!!
We printed off a few in No. Kentucky (a couple of parks near here) and he said, next weekend, when it's not 23 degrees, we'll go.
Thanks SO much again, I'm really excited about this.
"In the spring, at the end of the day, you should smell like dirt." Margaret Atwood
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shmeg
True Blue Farmgirl
222 Posts
Megan
Granville
Ohio
USA
222 Posts |
Posted - Apr 06 2007 : 07:03:50 AM
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Yes, my husband and I each made our own stamp. We made our youngest kids' for them but the older girls made their own. You can get the carving tools and rubber stamp material at a craft store and carve them, design them and have them made, or you can even use craft foam, cut out your design and blue it on a block. That last choice is particularly good for children who can't handle the sharp carving tools. I'll try to post a picture of my stamp.
Jonni-I'm not too far from Cincinnati, about two hours. They are a lot in that area! I'll be in our neck of the woods soon to visit a friend who just had a baby.
When you go to choose some letterboxes, see if you can find some made by "Pioneer Spirit". He makes some really nice stamps. He must not have a day job because he has been all over the central, southern ohio, West Virginia, and I think Kentucky area leaving and finding letterboxes.
-Megan |
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YiberryYadeeKarin
True Blue Farmgirl
343 Posts
Karin
Spokane Valley
WA
USA
343 Posts |
Posted - Apr 06 2007 : 7:15:36 PM
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I heard about letterboxing a couple of years ago -- I had to buy a book about it as I couldn't find anything I could borrow through any library systems. I have also been interested in geocaching and just bought an inexpensive GPS this winter (but still need to use it). Anyway, both sound SO neat! A way to get everybody outside and treasure hunting!
Our local Girl Scout council has been advertising letterboxing council-wide for this spring. I can't wait!
Thanks for the Atlas Quest website! Karin |
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KYgurlsrbest
True Blue Farmgirl
4853 Posts
Jonni
Elsmere
Kentucky
USA
4853 Posts |
Posted - Apr 06 2007 : 7:38:23 PM
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Hey Megan! I thought Granville sounded really familiar. I'll definitely look for his letterboxes. There seemed to be a number of folks who placed clues all over this tri state area...maybe retirees?
Doesn't matter--it's sooo neat. Can't wait to get started, and can't thank you enough for posting it.
Jonni
"In the spring, at the end of the day, you should smell like dirt." Margaret Atwood
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daffodil dreamer
True Blue Farmgirl
805 Posts
Jayne
Hamilton
Victoria
Australia
805 Posts |
Posted - Apr 07 2007 : 05:06:35 AM
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Hi Megan,
I just had a look on the atlas site. There is only one box in Western Australia, but there are six in Victoria (which is where we are from and are, hopefully, moving back to soon!) And one of those six is in the park not 500 metres from my brother's house in a small country town! Maybe we will get into it when we move back, as the more people involved, the more boxes will be set up. It sounds like such fun! I would love to see a photo of your stamps (or is your stamp identity supposed to be kept secret?!)
Best wishes,
Jayne |
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JRZFarmgrl
Farmgirl in Training
23 Posts
Denise
Elkhorn
Nebraska
USA
23 Posts |
Posted - Apr 09 2007 : 04:35:14 AM
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Wow, I love this idea!!! I found 3 letterboxes within walking distance of my house!!!!!
thanks so much for the info. My 7 year old son and 3 year old daughter will love this
Denise
So plant your own garden and decorate your own soul instead of waiting for someone to bring you flowers |
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Family Matters: letterboxing-the perfect family hobby |
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letterboxing-the perfect family hobby
