Has Liked You!Guestoria
Geography, Reading, Social, Writing
(Penpals) Let’s learn with kids around the world!
Personalized Writing & Real-World Exploration for Kids
🎓The Types of Kids We Let Participate: This program works best for those who are gifted writers and even those who are learning to become better writers. Many of the students first language is English, but there are also others where English may be their 2nd or 3rd language. You’ll find that many of the kids in the Penpal Program have an array of personalities and interests which makes it super exciting to share commonalities & diversity. Many peer-to-peer penpal friendships have been developed all over the world, including: the USA, Canada, Uganda, Australia, France and more. And what makes this work well is that kids are developing as a “learner” and a “person”.
🔒Safety: This program is built on safe interactions with kid participants only, where a screening process takes place in order to qualify for entry. If you’re a school/teacher, we’ll need to meet in person or online. If you’re a parent, we’ll meet online with at least one of your kids available.
- Less stress for teachers & parents to get kids motivated to write
- More personalized learning
- Improvement in writing, reading, spelling and penmanship
- Kids have discovered more things they are interested in
- Character building (patience, empathy, leadership, critical thinking, creativity, confidence)
- Better prepared to take ESL Assessment tests (eg. TELPAS)
- Culture & diversity exploration
- Observing the world more to get rid of limited thinking
- Excitement about something to look forward to
- More aware of people and cultural differences in order to function in the real world
- Overcoming writers block to gain freedom of expression for college essay applications
- Better communicators
⭐️Want to Add Curriculum Too? Additional curriculum can be added on for those who want to learn more geography, writing techniques, expressing thoughts clearly, analyzing short stories, and communication leadership videos of kids speaking English at our Live Social Events. This curriculum is aligned with STEAM learning experiences and outcomes. Click here to see the curriculum options. At signup, you’ll be able to choose which enrollment options you want (as shown below).
Enrollment Options:
Global Penpals + assessment guide
Tier 1 Curriculum (The Explorer)
Tier 2 Curriculum (The Mighty Leader)
Tier 3 Curriculum (The Global Scholar)
CLICK TO JOIN
🤔Frequently Asked Questions…
Who can participate? School classrooms and individual students. Public School, Private School, Homeschool and all others
How many penpals can my kids have? As many as they want. It’s unlimited.
How often do kids write? Everything is flexible which means you get to determine the frequency in which your kids write. On average, some kids write once every couple weeks or so.
Can we send email letter exchanges to our penpals too? Yes, you can send email letter exchanges to your penpal if that’s preferred. Many of the kids are writing and mailing physical letters, but there are also others who prefer to write via email exchanges to get their letters to the penpal quicker. Some kids even do a combination of both. It’s left up to you and your penpal.
Do I have to post my mailing address or email anywhere? No, you do not. When you send a request for someone to become your penpal, then they’ll automatically have just your email. Then, if you agree with your penpal to mail letters via snail mail, then you can send your mailing address directly to their email.
What device do I need to make my profile and initially connect with penpals? Any device will work (phone, tablet, laptop, computer). There is no app needed.
How will I know when someone wants to be my penpal? You’ll receive an email and also the message will be stored on your dashboard when you log in.
Can I request for someone to be my penpal too? Yes, and you can also have more than one penpal.
Is there a fee? For the majority, there is a fee. In rare cases there is no fee. This program is not a one-size-fits-all, so you’ll need to determine how long you want your kids to have access to the club and online login. 6 months and 1 year are typically available, and on occasion we may offer 1 month.
What language will my kids be writing in? Many of the students first language is English, but there are also others where English may be their 2nd or 3rd language.
Do we promote specific religions? Kids are able to mention their religion on their profiles and discuss with one another as they wish.
What is a “Social Mixer” and can we attend? Social Mixers are live online events that take place on Zoom with a teacher and the penpal kids. It allows the kids to socialize and learn in an enriching and fun atmosphere. If you’ve enrolled then you’ll be invited and can attend for free. These events typically happen once during every quarter. Events will be for your kid’s particular age group and occur after normal school hours (afternoon/evening in USA timezone). Some of the past events have been (Simon Says, Show & Tell, Guess That Animal, Scavenger Hunt, Memory Game, Social Chit Chat & Geography).
When should I enroll my kids/students? At times, there may be a waitlist. Enrollment periods and security checks are open only during certain periods, so if the opportunity presents itself then you should be ready to enroll now if you feel like the program will benefit your kids.
When should I schedule my online safety check? Typically, the safety check is done during the same online Zoom appointment when you enroll. If the option is open which allows you to enroll & pay upfront, you’ll have up to 21 days from the time you pay to schedule your security check appointment. We’ll make sure that you can get an appointment. But please do not wait until the last day to schedule because availability fills up.
Shaleen P.
(Guestoria) CEO & Chief Penpal Engagement Specialist
Shaleen has a passion for fostering the growth of kids through educational, motivational & fun learning experiences. Throughout her journey, she has worked with K-12 and college students in various capacities. She has a lot of versatility and has taught English Language Arts, Engineering, Science, Environmental Sustainability, and even Job Interviewing Skills. Shaleen holds a Masters of Science in Engineering Technology and also has a Bachelors of Science in Chemical Engineering.