Give Care Packages a New Twist
Your guide to six months of offbeat occasions, and the care packages to match
by Joanne Camas
Even in this wired age, grandchildren love receiving unexpected parcels via the good old-fashioned U.S. Postal Service. They typically can't rip the brown paper off fast enough to uncover the mysterious goodies within. Many grandparents assemble care packages to cover the basic biggie holidays — you know, Halloween, St. Patrick's Day, Valentine's Day. But you can spice up the classic care package with these special deliveries honoring the more offbeat holidays occurring January through June — the ones your grandchildren haven't heard of. Just don't forget to scribble a little card explaining what holiday they're celebrating.
January: Sending colorful writing paper or wacky pens are two easy ways to have fun with National Handwriting Day on January 23. The holiday commemorates John Hancock, the first person to sign the Declaration of Independence, and makes for an easy tie-in to a mini history lesson. Throw a pocket-size version of the historical document in the box, some cool stencils so the kids can personalize letters (hopefully to you), a book on analyzing handwriting, perhaps an invisible-ink set, a pack of colored pencils, a stick of wax and a stamp with your grandchild's initial (so she can seal the envelope with panache).
February: Remind your grandchildren of International Polar Bear Day on February 27 by sending a little stuffed animal to younger children or a picture book from the cute Hans de Beer's Little Polar Bear series. And, families will relish nestling together on the couch to watch a classic polar-bear flick, such as Arctic Tale or The Little Polar Bear. Teenage grandchildren will get a kick out of adopting a polar bear through the World Wildlife Fund or other environmental group. As for the icing — or ice cream — on the cake, add a chilly treat to the mix with these Ben & Jerry's coupons.
March: Stock your grandchildren up with a slew of magical toys for National Bubble Week, March 20 to 26. Send them wands to wave, plus fancier bubble "guns" and blowers. Find a recipe for homemade bubble solution and print it out chock-full of splashy bubble illustrations. Send a few bottles of the premade variety, as well, to generate immediate thrills. Toss in an amusing book about bubbles, such as How to Make Monstrous, Huge, Big Bubbles by David Stein (Klutz, 2005). If their parents won't get too upset, add a few packs of chewy bubblegum and a disposable camera so your grandchildren and their friends can document their bubble-blowing contests.
April: When blue skies and warm winds arrive, it's time to enjoy National Kite Month. Send your grandchildren a surprise collection of kites, streamers, and strings, plus a book teaching them how to make their own. Do you have memories of flying a kite as a child? Send a handwritten note sharing your story to personalize the gift still further. Throw in some coloring pages with smiling kites that they can brighten up with their Crayolas.
May: There's Limerick Day on May 12, but we think your grandchildren may delight more in the tastier (and less linguistically challenging) holiday National Chocolate Chip Day, on May 15. Whip up a collection of the dry ingredients you use to make your famous chocolate-chip cookies. Print out a colorful version of the recipe — your grandchildren will simply eat it up! Not a baker? Buy a variety of different types of choco-chip cookies, tie them up in cellophane with a fancy ribbon and send them on their way.
June: Mark your calendar: June 6 is National Yo-Yo Day, to honor the birthday of entrepreneur Donald F. Duncan Sr., who produced the Duncan Yo-Yo in the early 1900s and is credited with making the toy popular. Your grandchildren will love glow-in-the-dark yo-yos, a book such as Yo-Yo Tricks & Tips
(Consumer Guide, 1999), and perhaps even a Yo-Yo Ma CD…. (Hey, he counts!) Who knows, perhaps they'll even develop enough skill to earn a scholarship from the American Yo-Yo Association — then your children will be happy, too.
| Do you send out care packages? |
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When I have time to remember! 20.8%
On all the major holidays, plus birthdays 57.7%
Never, they live close by 21.5%
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Attaching a care package to an unexpected holiday is a good place to start, but you can also base a theme on your personal experiences. When grandmother Carol White and her husband went on their yearlong road trip around the U.S. last year, they were constantly on the lookout for ways to share the spectacular sights they were seeing with their grandchildren.
From South Dakota, they shipped their grandsons handcrafted bows and arrows — though White admits the parents still may not have forgiven them for that! From the desert, they sent the boys rock garden planters complete with desert plants and instructions on how to care for them. The packages were more thrilling than postcards, says White, and filled her grandsons in on all the adventures she and Grandpa were having.
Elsewhere on Grandparents.com, find great outdoor toys and gear, learn how to make a palylist for your grandkids, and join the discussion about whether your grandchildren are giving you fundraising fatigue.
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