Clive the Creative Mer-Boy - Your Guide to Getting the Most Out of Letter Four of The Mermaid Mail Series

The fourth letter in the Mermaid Mail series introduces Clive the Creative Mer-Boy, a mer-kid who loves bringing his imagination to life. This letter is about becoming comfortable with boredom, celebrating creativity, the power of starting, and embracing the magic of making things - even when they don’t feel perfect!

Mermaids are for everyone, and that includes boys too! Clive is here to show that creativity, imagination, and underwater adventures are for all mer-kids!

This guide will help you get the most out of this fun and inspiring letter with your child. As always, though, don’t feel pressured - simply letting your child enjoy the letter at their own pace is enough.

Creativity, Confidence & the Magic of Just Starting

In this letter, Clive shares how he transformed a plain coral patch into a dazzling coral castle - but before he got started, he had a moment of doubt.

"What if it’s not good enough?"

This is a feeling many children (and adults!) experience when trying something new. Creativity isn’t about being perfect—it’s about having fun, experimenting, and letting ideas flow!

You can talk to your child about creative confidence:

• “Have you ever felt like Clive, unsure if your ideas were ‘good enough’?”
• “What helps you to feel excited about making things, even if they don’t turn out perfectly?”
• “What do you think - is creativity more about fun or about being right or wrong?”

Clive also reminds us that boredom isn’t a bad thing - it’s actually the starting place of imagination! When he wasn’t sure what to create, he simply began, and his ideas flowed from there.

Encourage your child to notice what happens when they let their boredom turn into creativity!

 

Encouraging Creative Play & Art Exploration

Clive's story is a great opportunity to talk about different ways to be creative. Some children love drawing or painting, while others prefer building, storytelling, or even making up dances!

You could try these activities to explore creativity at home:

Building Fun: Use blocks, LEGO, or even pillows and blankets to build an imaginary underwater world. What would a mer-kid’s home look like?

Storytelling Time: Start a "Once upon a time under the sea…" story and let your child take turns adding to the adventure!

Boredom Challenges: Next time your child says, "I'm bored!", remind them of Clive’s advice: "Boredom is like a small ripple—it can grow into a big wave of imagination!"

Art Play: Use watercolour paints to paint shells or rocks from ‘under the sea.’

Sensory Play: Use blue jelly to set the basis of an underwater sensory tray. This could include shells you collect from the beach, sand, mermaid or sea animal figurines.

 

Inside the Envelope: Sticker & Colouring-in Fun!

This letter includes a special sticker of Clive’s coral castle, designed to inspire creativity. Encourage your child to stick it somewhere special to remind them that imagination makes the world a brighter, more magical place!

Also included is a colouring-in sheet, where your child can decorate a coral castle of their own! Will it have seaweed curtains? Jellyfish lanterns? Maybe even a secret treasure room? Let them dream big!

 

Share Your Child’s Creations!

We love seeing the incredible ideas mer-kids come up with! If your child creates a drawing, building, or story inspired by Clive’s letter, share it with us at:

📧 hello@happyenvelopeclub.com
📱 @happyenvelopeclub

As a thank you, we’ll send you a special discount code for future subscriptions and products.