Wondering what to write your camper? The best way to find out what they want to hear about is…. to ask them!
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Posts Tagged 'Overnight camp'
Need Ideas? Ask a Camper!
Published July 10, 2010 Advice from campers , Letter ideas , Letter-writing advice , Letters to camp Leave a CommentTags: Camp letter ideas, Letters to camp, Overnight camp, Tips from Campers, What to write
The Letters to Camp Packing List
Published June 26, 2010 First letter , Funny , Letter ideas , Letter-writing advice , Letters to camp , Uncategorized 1 CommentTags: Camp letter ideas, First letter, Letters to camp, Overnight camp, packing list
What to pack in that first letter
This week, our oldest left for camp. So of course we immediately dashed off our first letter. Hard to say why, but that first letter is always a mind-bender. It had been 10 months since I’d written my last camp letter. And as usual, I had such a big packing list filled with things I had to say in that special, first letter:
I’m looking for YOUR Advice
Published September 12, 2009 Letters to Camp Community Leave a CommentTags: Feedback, Letters to camp, Letters to Camp Community, Overnight camp
How would you like to be a guest contributor to the Letters to Camp Blog – the first blog dedicated to writing letters to overnight campers?
Over the “winter” (as in fall, winter and spring) months, I’d like to invite YOU to share your own tips on writing letters to your overnight camper(s)! Continue reading ‘I’m looking for YOUR Advice’
The Last Letter Should Never Be A “Z”
Published August 19, 2009 Letters to camp , Musings Leave a CommentTags: End of season, Guest contributors, Letters to camp, Musings, Overnight camp, Parenting, Summer camp
It’s hard to believe but this morning, I actually sent my last email for the season. I think I’m going to miss the morning rush to craft an interesting letter filled with humor, support and daily updates – all by 9 am, 6 days a week.
I’ll admit, I had to resort to some unorthodox practices… fill-in-the-blank and form letters, letters from my dog (some translated, some not – as in wuff wuff wuff); crazy dog adventures (the dog thing seems to come up a lot in my letters); new and amusing spin on my daily activities; barely legible 8-point font so that I could include material from my wife, my dog, my son and myself; new jokes to include (see my last two posts 1 2), and a lot more. Yes, every day has been quite action-packed – before the 9 am deadline. And through it all, I worked hard to make sure that my letters – from first to last – never ended with a zzzzzzzzzzz!
So the last letter has been written for the season. But summer 2010 awaits! I know you’ll want to be thinking about next year’s letters (which could number as many as 50), so we’ll continue to write through the “winter” months – the seemingly endless stretch between summer camp this year and next. So when next summer rolls around, you’ll be more ready than ever to write well-crafted, supportive, meaningful, and humorous letters to camp.
And if you’d like to add your own advice, let us know by commenting below. We’ll contact you so you can contribute a post.
More Jokes
Published August 15, 2009 Funny , Jokes , Letter ideas , Letters to camp , Links to other sites , Overnight camp , Resources 1 CommentTags: Camp jokes for kids, Camp letter ideas, campers, Funny, Funny letters to camp, Jokes, Letter ideas, Letter-writing advice, Letters to camp, Links to other sites, Overnight camp, Parenting, Summer camp
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.
- Joke of the Day. Good selection of jokes. Very easy to browse. Includes one-liners and longer jokes. Home page includes the Joke of the Day.
- 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
Careless Packages
Published August 4, 2009 Letters to camp , Links to other sites , Overnight camp , Sending packages to camp Leave a CommentTags: BeyondBookmarks, Campbound, campers, Care packages, Fearless and Freckles, FussBudget, GiftBaskets.com, Just4Camp, Letters to camp, Links to other sites, Minimus, Overnight camp, Parenting, Sealed with a Kiss, Send a Smile Gifts, Summer camp, The Find, The Wrinkled Egg
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 CommentTags: Camp Greystone, Letter-writing advice, Letters to camp, Links to other sites, Overnight camp
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 .
Letters to Camp 
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