Darby Flats

1. Decide how many Flats you are going to make. It is much easier to do several at a time, while all of your supplies are gathered.

2. What image are you going to use for your Flat? Cartoon character, picture of yourself, a coloring book image, an animal, etc. The possibilities are endless.

3. Personalize your image. Are you just going to use a photo? Do you want to embellish it? Are you going to color an image? How will your Flat show your personality? Originality is always fun for the host family.

4. Write your personal information on the back- name, address, e-mail address. If the Flat gets separated from his packaging, this will allow the Host to get him home, anyway. THIS STEP IS VERY IMPORTANT!!

5. Laminate him. No matter how careful the host tries to be, an unlaminated Flat is going to suffer some damage. They are carried around in backpacks and purses. It is best for them to be durable.

6. Write an "information sheet" about your Flat. Give it some background, so the host family has some information to work with. If you'd like an example, please see Baxter's Letter under the Baxter Project heading. For example, what is your Flat's full name, his date of birth (I would love to give a Flat a birthday party, hehe), what does your Flat like to eat, does he have any hobbies? The more background information you provide, the more personalized the host family will make his journey with them.

This is a time consuming project. Please take into account your child's interest. Because Elizabeth doesn't fully understand what we're doing yet, I took on the responsibility of creating Baxter and his back story. Eventually, she and Angel will add to his story. Elizabeth learns best by observation.

I hope this article has provided you enough information to get started. I found it helpful to host a few flats first. It gave me some great ideas, so I could make Baxter our own. If you have any questions, feel free to contact me at- darbyflats@gmail.com.