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More Jokes

Published August 15, 2009 Funny , Jokes , Letter ideas , Letters to camp , Links to other sites , Overnight camp , Resources 1 Comment
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Yesterday I listed kid-safe joke sites.  Following is a list of general sites that have a mix of kid-friendly and not so kid-friendly jokes.  But most of these sites have a great selection of appropriate jokes so you’ll want to check them out. The best sites are at the top of the list.

General Jokes Sites

Broad selection of general jokes without sections dedicated to kids.

 

  • Comedy Zone. Huge selection of jokes, many of which are clean.  Easily browse-able with titles for each joke. Check out the extensive collection of funny pictures.  Looks like this site hails from the United Kingdom.
  • Joke-Best. Reader-rated jokes.  More clean jokes than many other sites.  Browse-able.  Easy to navigate.
  • Funny and Jokes. Good selection.Click on a category to see a selection of jokes on one page.  Click to see more.  Browse-able.  Decent number of categories.
  • The Joke Yard. Moderate selection of jokes with many categories.  Browse-able to short list of jokes in a given category. Check out clean one liners.  Click more categories to see a huge list of categories.  Great feature: shows if joke is clean, rude etc.  Beware: many rude jokes.  It’s also ad-supported so you never know what’s going to show up.
  • Funnyjokes.org. Click on categories to read random jokes, one at a time.  A bit tedious since you can’t browse for specific jokes.
  • Cool funny jokes.  Very easy to find new jokes from the home page.  You’ll have to look for the funny jokes.  Note that some people will find selected links and  jokes offensive.  Fully browse-able.  Beware: sometimes displays racy ads.
  • Joke-Of-The-Day.  Very easy to browse with descriptions.  Lots of clean jokes although much of the humor may be beyond the reach or interest of children.  Don’t go here looking for “the joke of the day” though.
  • Lots of Jokes.  Moderate selection of funny kids jokes but not easy to browse.  The main site contains many jokes, many of which are not appropriate for children.  Site has a lot of advertising.

Resources:

More funny stuff from the Letters To Camp Blog.
A Letter A Day Makes A Happy Camper

A Joke A Day Makes A Happy Camper

Published August 14, 2009 Funny , Jokes , Letter ideas , Letters to camp , Links to other sites , Overnight camp 7 Comments
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Keep your camper laughing with funny letters to camp!  Campers always love to get jokes from their parents.  Jokes lighten your camper’s mood and help to build a shared connection between you and your child.  What’s more, your camper will enjoy sharing jokes and laughs with their friends.  In our family, we try to include a joke in each daily (!) email we send to our kids at camp.

Make it relevant. Remember to tailor your joke selections to the interests and sensibilities of your child.  If your kid follows politics, send political jokes.  Interested in computers?  Send computer jokes, etc.

A web of jokes. You can draw from your own arsenal of jokes or you can find more jokes on the web.  In most cases, it’s easy to cut and paste jokes, riddles and pictures from these sites directly into your typed letters and emails.  You’ll also find that the ability to browse and find jokes varies greatly from site to site.  The best sites include a multitude of categories with links to specific titles for each joke.

Joke of the Day?  You choose. It’s tempting to just go to a joke of the day website and cut and paste the day’s joke.  But the jokes tend to be uneven so you’re better off browsing for a an interesting joke.

Following is a list of joke sites with kid-appropriate, usually clean jokes.  The best sites are closest to the top.

Kid-Friendly & Kid-Safe Joke Sites

  • A Joke A Day – It seems like of these jokes have been around for a while but if you look at the archives, you’ll find some god ones.  The actual “Joke of the Day” usually comes from the archives.  You can subscribe to a daily email as well. Fully Browse-able.  Massive number of browse-able categories with joke descriptions.
  • AHA Jokes.  Excellent selection (some of the best kids jokes I’ve read) but difficult to browse.  Browse to a category where you’ll see a numbered list without descriptions.  Avoid the joke of the day because it doesn’t look like it’s been updated regularly.
  • Arizona Kids Net.  Jokes and lots of riddles submitted by kids.  Difficult to cut and paste – but great selection of funny jokes.  Easily brows-able but limited number of categories.
  • Library jokes – Multinomah Public Library.  Library jokes for real, and a lot more.  Great links to other clean joke sites.  Scroll to the bottom of the page for an excellent selection of clean, funny riddles.  Easy cut and paste.  Not browse-able.
  • Jokes ‘n Jokes.  All clean jokes with a few politically incorrect jokes for good measure.  Includes numerous categories but the site layout is cluttered and a little difficult to navigate.  Browse-able.

Resources:

More funny stuff from the Letters To Camp Blog.

Next: More joke sites – tomorrow.

Careless Packages

Published August 4, 2009 Letters to camp , Links to other sites , Overnight camp , Sending packages to camp Leave a Comment
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Once again, we’ll go beyond letters to camp…. Now that you’ve mastered the basics of care packages (see my last post), it’s time for the “remedial” class on “careless packages.”  This is the part where you get lazy and decide to have someone else make your “care” package for you.  Ah, the joys of parenting!

Now, I know what you’re thinking…  We’re all busy, don’t have time, want to show we care but don’t know what to do… blah blah blah.  If you can’t spend time building your kids’ care package, just how much care does that show anyways?  Is it possible to substitute an expensive package from some giant corporation for “care”?  Only you’ll know for sure.   And who knows, maybe your kid won’t care.  Heck, I’m not sure mine would care – they just want packages.  But I just wouldn’t feel right having someone else make it for me.  Yeah, right!

But I digress… Following is a list of companies that will gladly have you pay them to build “careless packages.”

NOTE: This is not a recommendation or endorsement of any of these online stores.

#1: Food Stuff
Most camps do not permit food so make sure to check your camp policies on food before sending.  IMPORTANT: some of these contain peanuts, which your camp may not permit due to allergies.  Make sure to check camp rules on peanuts.

  • The Popcorn Factory – Popcorn in all sizes and flavors – sure to be a kid favorite.
  • Oh Nuts – Kosher treats.  Beware of the peanuts if your camp has a peanut policy.  Looks tasty.

#2: Foodless “Care” Packages & Individual Stuff
Stuff, stuff, stuff.  A wide variety of choices.

  • Beyond Bookmarks – Their site states “Our care packages are in compliance with summer camp rules and are a favorite of camp directors.”  Lots of interesting packages with varied themes.  From the looks of their prices, it you must have to pay extra for camp director approval. $$$$
  • Fearless and Freckles – This shows up in Google under “Bunk Junk”!  Need I say more?  Individual items and “care” pails (as opposed to packages).  The pails seem expensive to me but they have lots of reasonable individual items. $$
  • Fuss Budget – Lots of interesting stuff – mainly individual items rather than care packages.  Reasonable price. $$
  • Gift Baskets – A few choice care packages.  Reasonable prices.  $$
  • Just4Camp – Stationery, pillows, games. Seems a little pricey. $$$
  • Sealed With a Kiss – “The original camp care package company since 1984”  Ready-to-go packages start at $20 but they’ll also do individual items and custom care packages.  Web site is very easy to use.  Yikes, these guys sent 7,000 “care” packages last year alone! $$
  • Send A Smile Gifts – Lots of reasonably priced care packages.  You can also order advance delivery.  $$
  • The Wrinkled Egg – Custom “care” packages.  $$$$

#3: Outdoors/Camping Supplies

  • Campbound – Check out the summer camp store.  Not much in the way of “care” packages but they are a business affiliate of the American Camping Association.

#4: Necessities

  • Minimus – Small sized toiletries etc.  Most camps sell necessities – check with camp before sending.

#5: More ideas – The Find

For additional care package ideas, check out The Find shopping site.  The Find is just an aggregator site so you’ll have to assemble these items yourself from different online stores featured.  Here are a few searches to get you started.

Great Letter-Writing Advice from Camp Greystone

Published July 5, 2009 Letter-writing advice , Letters to camp , Links to other sites , Overnight camp Leave a Comment
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What do letters to camp have to do with camp atmosphere?
As it turns out, plenty!

A great summer camp will work to create a specific type of atmosphere in camp.  Many camps believe that summer is a time to disconnect from email, cell phones, etc.  When sending letters, emails or faxes, remember that camps set their policies to reflect the atmosphere and values of the camp.  In other words, expect that policies will vary widely from camp to camp.

I come across many camp websites that offer thoughtful suggestions and guidelines for letter-writing.  For example, check out Camp Greystone in North Carolina.  They also had great advice about birthdays too – see the last blog post.

Among other things, Camp Greystone advises parents to:

  • Write letters by hand
  • Be creative
  • Take time to do a good job
  • Write often
  • Allow plenty of time for “snail mail” to work

You can read more on their site.  As you can tell from their tips, kids enjoy letters and letter-writing is an art that requires time and even planning.  Of course, that’s why I started this blog – to help parents write great letters to their campers.

A final note on logistics. As I mentioned earlier, while most camps allow and encourage hand-written USPS mail (aka “snail mail”), email and fax policies vary widely between camps.  Unlike Camp Greystone, most camps seems to allow email although many will charge extra for it.  Make sure to check with your camp to ensure that you fully understand their policies.

For more tips, see last summer’s post on letter-writing advice .

www.LettersToCamp.net

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