• For a child, summer camp can be a rite of passage. Camps can last as little as four or five days or take up most of the summer. Care packages from home can go a long way in ensuring that your child has a wonderful summer full of memories. Fill them with items you know your child will enjoy, and your child will be the envy of the cabin.
  
  

Prank Care Package

• Many children like to play pranks at summer camp on their fellow cabin mates or a rival cabin. Some camps specifically prohibit certain materials that could be used for playing pranks, so check with the camp before sending anything. If there are no rules, however, choose a few items that will not harm anyone during the prank. Cans of shaving cream are the perennial favorite. Choose an inexpensive brand, as it will mostly end up on the children and the ground. Another fun item is silly string. This comes in cans and is sprayed onto unsuspecting people. It dries almost immediately and can then just be picked up and thrown out. Coming in various colors, these can often be found at dollar stores. Fake dog mess, fake throw up and squirting rings can give your child the opportunity to prank his camp counselors, while whoopie cushions will provide hours of fun in the cabin.
  
  

Food Care Package

• Summer camp is the perfect time to eat snacks by the fire, sneak candy while talking to your new best friend after lights out or drinking a soda on the way to the pool. Help your child experience this without the high cost of camp food snacks. Send a care package with movie theater-size boxes of their favorite candy. Make sure not to provide too much chocolate, however, as it might melt in the heat. Gummy bears or worms, hard candies and gum are favorites. If your child likes a certain powdered drink mix, send a water bottle and the individual powder packets so he can make his own. Granola bars or protein bars are also good choices to send.
  
  

For the Homesick Child

• If your child is homesick or shy, there are a few things you can send to help make her feel better. A picture of the family is good to look at each night before bed, as well as any cards or letters from any siblings still at home. Send along a few things to get your child involved with other children, as well. Travel-size games like a magnetic checkers game is small enough to send, as is a book of Mad Libs. There is even a book dedicated to summer camp that your child will be able to relate well to. A journal or notebook your child can use to write about her summer camp experience might be enough to help her come out of her shell a little bit.