7 Favorite Gifts for Campers’ Care Packages 2015

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As the camper ripped open her package, her shouts of delight were audible across camp.  She pulled out a book, “Yay, it’s my favorite series!!” she shouted, a smile lighting up her face.

Watching campers open packages at camp, I consistently see and hear the most gleeful exclamations when a book is pulled out.  This may be because only the most ardent readers receive books in care packages or possibly because books are the ideal gift to send to a camper.  Books are useful, engaging, and don’t create cabin clutter.

Here are 7 items girls have received at camp this summer and rated enthusiastically highly:

1. Books: The Land of Stories series is getting high accolades from campers
2. Comic books! 
3. Friendship yarn: this is brightly colored, cotton thread that typically can be found in packages of 10 or 12 or more skein
4. A new headband— an item that is much needed for anyone with long hair and often lost
5. Uno card game— a tried and true favorite if your camper doesn’t already have a deck
6. Stickers
7. Fuzzy socks to wear to bed

And one item is sufficient.  Campers are often most excited just to see their names on the package list.

Best items you want to share for sending a camper?  Comment and let us know.

8 Easy Hanukkah Gifts or Stocking Stuffers for Your Camper

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Hanukkah starts tomorrow night; Christmas is just two weeks away; and you could still use a few small ideas for your summer camper, right?

Any of these eight small gifts are perfect for stuffing into stockings or wrapping up one each night of lights.

1. Water bottle— hot summer days may seems ages away right now, but water bottles are well-used at summer camps to keep active campers hydrated.  


2. Stickers— often these are freebies from your favorite haunts.  Campers personalize water bottles and trunks with stickers and can never have too many.


3. Note cards— while this one may be somewhat self-serving, if you would like to receive letters from camp, you can still find (or make!) fun cards or a letter writing kit to pack in your child’s trunk.


4. Photo in a plexiglass frame— enjoy the photo now and pack it up come summer to place on a cubby by your camper’s bunk.


5. Head lamp— a head lamp is a necessity at camp for reading after taps or seeing the sink while simultaneously putting toothpaste on a toothbrush.  


6. Toothbrush case— speaking of brushing teeth, find a few colorful toothbrush cases and a soap case to keep bristles pine-needle free.


7. Shower caddy— as you’re out shopping keep your eyes open for a small plastic “bucket” that can hold shampoo and soap and sit on a shower floor in the woods.


8. Playing cards— campers can never have too many decks of cards!

Fun Summer Camp Packages

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One of the great benefits of summer camp is living clutter-free. Yet there is great happiness at mail time seeing your name is on the package list.  So when you put together a care package for your camper this summer, keep in mind that receiving a package often is more exciting than any specific contents could possibly be.  One creatively-decorated package with a few camp-friendly items is great treat for your summer camper.


Here are some ideas to include in an easy, fun package:

• A book.  Perhaps the next book in a favorite series or a joke book for sharing with cabin mates.
• A sticker to add to her trunk if she has one. 
• Notecards.  Find fun ones made for campers and add some small stickers so he can decorate the cards himself.
• A craft.  Choose wisely.  Crafts that work best have few parts and no paint.  
• Speaking of crafts... if your camper enjoys making friendship bracelets then a few more spools of thread in bright colors are always welcome.
• A deck of cards.  Cards are a great cabin pastime and a new, full deck may be just what the cabin needs after playing 100 rounds of Peon and bending a few too many cards.
• Water bottle.  It's been a wonderfully warm summer in many states, so if your camper doesn't already have a water bottle on hand, he would likely appreciate one.

And some tips when mailing your package:

• Check out regional rate boxes from the US Post Office for mailing your packages.  If your camper attends a camp within a state or two from home, then these rates are a great value.
• The box or envelope is part of the package so decorate the shipping container too!  Get out your indelible markers and a box of stickers and be a child again as you decorate.
• Have fun packaging up what's in the box.  Put sticky notes on each item with knock-knock jokes or wrap the items up in colorful pages from recycled magazines.
• Verify any do's and don'ts from your camp.  Most camps do not allow food to be sent to campers for a multitude of sound reasons, not the least of which is helping your child have a healthy summer.  So check if there are any items that cannot be sent.

The whole experience makes receiving a package fun at summer camp.  Also check out Writing Your Summer Camper .

Welcome Home Gifts

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Summer camps are finishing up their fun-filled summers. How do you welcome your camper home? Here are a few gifts you can give to help him or her readjust to non-camp living.

1. Space 

Sure they have been living cot to cot, maybe 50 campers sharing one bathroom and well over a hundred in the dining hall, yet somehow close quarters doesn’t translate well to family living.

2. Time 

You may have been anxiously waiting 7 weeks for their return, but your camper may well be on a totally different time scale. Don’t expect instant re-engagement in family life—give him time. Going from 24 hour camp interaction to hanging out with mom and dad and little brother is abrupt.

3. Unfettered Internet Access 

“What?!” you may be thinking, “she just spent the better part of a summer separated from technology and you’re advocating that she plug right back in?!” If she had access prior to camp she’s going to want to post her camp photos and yes, check in with the camp friends she just said good-bye to all of two hours ago.

 4. Movie Out 

Most campers don’t get out to movies during the summer, so there are likely several showing that he would like to see before school is back in session. Let him pick what to see for a family night out.

5. Chauffeur 

 An alternative to heading to a movie as a family, you can offer to drive her with friends to a movie, the beach or an amusement park. Many of the other parents may be chauffeured out by August, so step up and stay quiet behind the steering wheel.

6. Magazine 

Pick up a copy of People or Us or some other weekly magazine for your camper to flip through without too much thought. Potentially gives you a visual on your camper as he may sit nearby as he mindlessly flips pages. Gives your camper both time and space, see above.

7. Book 

For more avid readers have a new book waiting as an option to give her both time and space.

8. Favorite Dinner or Dessert 

While the food at camp may have been delicious, it’s unlikely the cook knew exactly how to prepare her favorite pasta, brownie raspberry sundaes or peach pancakes. Now is a great time to cook up a few favorites.

9. Frame 

Most photos are retained digitally these days, but it can be fun to have a favorite summer memory on her dresser or bedside table. Find a summer or friend-themed frame to have waiting for her and then let her chose a summer photo for you to print.

New Approach to Care Packages

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The campers cluster around the mailboxes, eagerly scanning the newly posted package list. “Yeah I got one!” “Lily you got a package!” “YES!” can be heard as the campers spot their name or a friend’s name on the list. Often simply receiving a package is more important than the contents.

However, having sent numerous care packages over the years, and having covered the basics, I was looking for a new approach to putting together a package. My daughter’s camp discourages sending food and the Mad Libs have come home empty in past summers. My daughter hasn’t even had time to read the books she went to camp with. So what to send?

Rather than heading out to the store, I decided to look around the house to see what I could send.  I opened the junk drawer in my kitchen and peered in. I considered each object in turn:

• Cool pad of paper—check, that could easily be included
• Fun colored pens—pens are always running out, I put them in
• Rocks—okay there are plenty of rocks at camp, leave those in the junk drawer
• Bouncy ball—sure, small, lightweight, fun
• Rubber bands—hmm, not sure that would be so exciting
• An unused skein of gimp—so many uses, sure, I dropped it in the bag
• And way in the back—an old riddle book—paused and read that for a bit. This one had probably been forgotten about and would be enjoyed as if it were new.

I have only just sent the package, so I don’t know yet how well it was received. Guess I’ll just have to wait by my mailbox for a return letter. If you give it a try let us know what you find and how well it was received.

Gift Ideas for Summer Campers

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Looking for a few gift ideas for the summer campers in your life?
Well, look no further. Whether you are finding gifts for your own children, grandchildren, nieces or nephews, you can create a gift and presentation sure to please.

First, consider the activities your child loves most at camp. Is he a sailor? A hiker? A woodworker? A nature enthusiast? Tailor your gift selection to the particular interests of your camper. Here are a few examples.

Hiker:

• New backpack
• Head lamp
• Day pack
• Hiking Guide to the White Mountains, Green Mountains, Appalachian Trail or wherever your camper hikes
• Compass
• Water bottle with camp logo
• Wool socks—not exciting, but necessary

Sailor:

• Sailing gloves—look for fingerless kayaking gloves for a less expensive and equally effective option.
• PFD
• Water-resistant watch with a timer
• Sailing rules book such as Dave Perry’s Understanding the Racing Rules of Sailing

Wood shop enthusiast:

• Swiss Army Knife
• Reference books for carving

Nature Enthusiast:

• Compass
• Pocket Naturalist Guides (animal tracks, night sky, wilderness survival and many more)
• National Geographic Backyard Guide to the Night Sky
• Nature Journal
• Sketch pad and pencils
• Day pack

Kayaker:

• Kayaking gloves
• Spray skirt
• PFD
• Dry bag

Second, encapsulate a camp memory as a gift. For instance, frame a summer photo from camp. Many camps have photos available for download or sale on their websites. Or ask your camper’s friend for a high resolution copy of a fun friends photo from the summer. Make a high quality print and frame it in a friends themed frame from Target, Amazon or your local photo shop.

You can also capture memories in a playlist tailored to camp. If your child’s camp has recorded songs you can start with those, add in traditional camp songs like ‘Titanic’ or ‘Little Green Frog’. Or take a theme like friendship and create a playlist around songs about friends.

Capture a year’s worth of memories in a calendar full of camp photos. Include special dates like opening and closing days for camp, and birthdays of camp friends.

Third, remember to visit your child’s camp website. Many camps sell items with camp logos such as caps, water bottles, journals, and stickers.

Lastly, don’t overlook the gift of a summer at camp. If you send a child to camp you can make a presentation of the ultimate camp gift—you are giving a child the time to be immersed in a new environment, bond with friends, build self-confidence, learn new skills and live life lessons. Create a personalized card to give your child as a reminder of the gift of summer camp, wrap it up and present it with intention.

In the middle of the winter, a reminder of long summer days at camp is an ideal gift for your summer camper. What are your best ideas for gift giving to campers? What would you like to receive as a camper?