How to Send Packages to Campers

It’s true campers love getting mail, but getting packages is another level. If you are able, please try and send at least one care package. It doesn’t need to be big, but it’s always received by your camper as a big, “I love you.”

Boring important stuff out of the way first - Yes, camp receives packages from all major carriers. Camp Balcones Springs may be far from a strong cell signal, but FM 1431 is well-traveled by the FedEx, UPS, and the US Postal Service. You can send packages from Amazon. They will arrive, but a package is always better when it comes with a handwritten note or a touch from home.

If you send a package and it arrives after the term lets out, Camp will ship it to your home address. This happens. It’s happened to me. While it’s not the ideal, it’s nice to know the package won’t be lost to time.

There are plenty of good reasons to send a package.

Reason #1 - Just because.

The first and most important reason is that receiving packages is PHUN! Seriously, send something.

Reason #2 - You forgot to pack something.

Raise your hand if you ever packed for camp, drove 4 hours, started setting up your bunk, and realized that you forgot to pack socks…… Just me? Cool. Well if any of you DO forget to pack something, it’s a lot easier to rectify that mistake in 2026 than it was in 1996.

For example, even though the cabins have A/C, every camper loves to receive a fan. It’s not always about the air. Sometimes you need a fan so that the white noise drowns out your snoring counselors.

When you unpack on opening day, take stock of everything. If you did forget an item, make a quick list, and include it in a package. If you do, make sure to add a few other items so it doesn’t feel like Santa only brought you socks for Christmas.

Reason #3 - You want to increase the PHUN.

Camp is the best. As a parent, you can take part in the experience by sending little gifts to enhance the good times. Not to nest categories in a category, but it’s my blog.

PHUN Surprises If you want to send a great package, think about little things that can bring a smile to your camper. Maybe things they originally didn’t want, but secretly wish you had packed. Maybe they thought they were too cool for costumes, but you know they really need a pearl snap shirt for Rodeo Roundup. Take a minute to remember what it was like to have rest time when you were 11. You need to rest, but that one hour can feel like an eternity. Send some fidget toys or a *book to help pass the time. Books can be passed around the cabin. Try looking for “choose your own adventure” style books or a joke book. Those are way more fun to receive than whatever novel they’re supposed to have finished by the first day of school.

Reinforcements - If your camper is a boy between the ages of 7-9, they will have run out of water balloons by the first Thursday of the term. Send more water balloons to the warfront. Your camper will be a hero. For everyone else, think about what might get overused. Send more sunscreen, more bug spray, and more facepaint. Anything that you sent in a bottle or container should probably be refilled. At the very least, your camper’s counselors will appreciate the extra supplies.

Not all packages are welcome… There are a few things that camp asks parents to not send. There’s the obvious, like anything the DARE program warned you about in 1995. There’s also some that don’t sound like a big deal, but they really are. It’s important to not send food or candy to your camper. Other campers feel left out, some of them have food allergies, and it’s also how you get unwanted wildlife in a cabin. There is a bigger reason to not break the package rules… it’s about teaching your camper the right thing to do.

When parents break the rules, they are demonstrating to the kids that, “rules are for other people, but not for me and you.” Camp is a great place to grow in character and virtue, but CBS only has your campers for 2-3 weeks. Real character is formed in the home. Camp Balcones Springs wants to align with parents in how these campers are taught and shaped. A way for parents to help is by modeling the rules, even when it comes to packages.

• Be careful about sending new books. In the summer of 2007, the final Harry Potter book came out, and a few kids were sent copies. Immediately you had kids freaking out about spoilers, and then a cabin played a joke that not everyone thought was very funny. At a moment when the entire camp was gathered, these E Compound boys started reading the final pages out loud. Mass panic and chaos. We actually had to take up all the copies of the book until the term ended. TBH, it was pretty hilarious. Come find me at Term 1 Closing Day and I’ll tell you all about it.