Flat Ryan has Left Virginia
Several months ago, we were introduced to the book Flat Stanley through a local homeschool co-op. In the book, Stanley goes to bed one evening a normal boy and wakes up in the morning only 1/2″ thick, flattened as the result of an accident with a bulletin board hung over his bed. Stanley decides to make the best of his new situation, and so with sandwich in hand, he climbs into an envelope and is mailed off to California to visit a friend.
I believe Ryan was a bit envious of Stanley, as he would love to jet off to Florida or California or New York to visit his friends. And so, he settled for the net best thing; he created a life-sized “Flat Ryan” to send out to visit family and friends. Ryan worked diligently coloring Flat Ryan’s shirt, pants, and shoes, carefully choosing the colors for his outfit. He even outfitted him with one muddy shoe – a common sight on the real Ryan, especially in the Spring when the boys like to play in the creek, actually a drainage area, in our neighborhood.
Flat Ryan researches his travel itinerary.
And so today, photo journal by his side, Flat Ryan set off for his first adventure; time with Grandma and cousin Sarah in New Jersey. Before returning home, Flat Ryan will visit friends and family in Virginia, Florida, North Carolina, New Jersey, Illinois, Colorado, Washington, and California. At each stop, Flat Ryan’s hosts will photograph him enjoying whatever activities they have planned for his visit. These photos will then be added to Flat Ryan’s photo journal. Imagine the real Ryan’s excitement at having Flat Ryan return home after visiting all of the people he himself would most like to visit!