Summer Camp Care Packages They'll Look Out For!
Written By Savvy Auntie Staff Writers
By Katelyn Fry
June 21, 2017
It’s summer camp season, and whether your nieces and nephews are going for a week or a month, and whether they tend to get homesick or not, nothing will put a smile on their face like a care package or letter from their favorite Auntie.
Here are a few cool ideas to send campers and make every mail-call something they look out for!
Stationary: Find a stationary kit with one of their favorite themes – TV show, movie, musician, sports team, etc. – and make your letter writing that much more special for them. Mail the stationary kit with your first letter so your niece or nephew can use the stationary for the rest of their time at camp. Don't forget the stamps!
Snacks: Maybe you guys have a few shared favorites or a special snack you make together. Try and keep the snacks you send on the healthier side (with the exception of s’mores ingredients, of course) and if possible, send enough to share with fellow campers.
Games and Toys: For rainy days inside, a deck of cards, UNO, Pick Up Sticks, a deck of charade cards for kids, anything that is easy to mail and something they can play with several kids at once. For sunny days, a Velcro ball game set, Frisbee, or bandanas to play “capture the flag.”
Mad Libs can double as a game and a letter-writing tool, and one your nieces and nephews can share a few laughs over with their new friends. With Mad Libs’ Letters from Camp edition, kids will have a blast filling in the blanks together, and each ready-to-mail page can be taken out, folded, sealed and sent on its way.
Ghost Story Books. One of the best parts of camping is sharing ghost stories around the campfire. Get your nieces and nephews in the spotlight (or flashlight, rather) by sending them spooky stories to share. Maybe you know a few timeless ones yourself that you could write down for them, or order a book full of stories that are age and content-appropriate. Barnes & Noble offers great suggestions like John C. Bradshaw’s Fun Campfire Ghost Stories and Kimberly Eldredge’s Scary & Silly Campfire Stories: Fifteen Spooky & Silly Tales.
Photos of Your Own Camp Days: If you’ve ever gone to summer camp, your nieces and nephews will get a kick out of seeing you do exactly what they’re doing now at that age. Dig through some photo albums and if you have more than one photo, include one in each package you send with a little scribble on the back of what you were doing that day in camp.
Constellation Map: I used to love trying to identify constellations as a kid, and now my niece and I try and do it together. This activity is as fun as it is educational and is a great nighttime activity for your nieces and nephews to tackle with their campmates. Plus, they’ll be able to find way more constellations and stars out there in the wilderness than they ever could back home!
A Survival Kit: Make sure your camper is always prepared by sending a few small survival items. A compass, a new water bottle, travel flashlight, travel bug spray, a new hat or pair of sunglasses, can always be useful. Get creative with it by adding the things the kids think they need for survival, like Archie Comics or superhero comic books!
Give them Homework: With each letter you write, ask them to complete some kind of small task that day and have them report back to you in their letters. For example, on Monday, they can identify at least three different animals and tell you all about them. On Tuesday they can tell you about different trees they saw and learned about, or bugs, or camping facts they’re learning like berries that are bad to eat, etc.
An Invitation to a Backyard Campout. Your last letter can be an invitation to a campout in your own backyard when they get home so they can teach you everything they learned while they were away and share all of their summer camp stories. Maybe set up a tent ahead of time with some hot dogs over the grill, marshmallows ready to go, and take a photo to show them what’s waiting for them at home – an awesome campout with their long-awaited Auntie!
By the way, if your niece or nephew is only going to camp for a week, don’t forget to mail your care package(s) in advance to make sure they receive them.
Photo: naumoid