To Camper, With Love
A parent’s guide to sending letters and care packages
Although most camps discourage campers and parents from communicating via telephone, letters are generally welcomed. “Recognize that this is one of the few opportunities parents and children have to write actual letters to one another,“ explains Peg Smith, CEO of the American Camp Association. “It is also a perfect time to tell your child how much he or she mean to you and how proud you are of what they are accomplishing at camp.”
Plan ahead, and mail a letter to your child so that it arrives soon after you drop him or her at camp. You can also stash notes in their trunk, pillow or even their sleeping bag. If you hope to get a letter in return, consider sending your child with some postcards that already have the stamp and home address on them.
Campers enjoy care packages too, but make sure you check with the camp before sending those homemade cookies. Many camps don’t allow you to send food and drinks. “When a camper receives food items in a care package, they may be brought back to sleeping areas and attract both big and little animals,” Smith says.
Instead of food, think about sending books, magazines and even local newspapers for kids to read during rest periods. Other items that campers might enjoy receiving include playing cards, flashlights, mini fans, stuffed animals, disposable cameras, stationery and stamps.
If you are pressed for time, consider some of the many businesses that will make and send a care package for you. For company recommendations, ask the camp director or check the camp literature. At Camp Stella Maris in Livonia, N.Y., you can order StarPaks created by Paula Lunn. In this home-based business, Lunn creates about 100 packages a week during the summer camp season. A percentage of the proceeds from the sale of the packages goes right back to the camp to help pay for camp scholarships. “Parents feel good about sending the packages,” Lunn says, ”because it provides kids who might not have had the opportunity a chance to go to camp.“
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