TRAVEL KITS - A simple way to bless others

Hey again, glad you could join me over here. In case you missed it before, I have the awesome opportunity this school year to be a part of the TOS Homeschool Crew. That means that I will be receiving samples of homeschool resources from various vendors, and, in return, have agreed to review each product - without compensation- and pass that information on to you. So, if you're ready to hear about this month's product, let's go!

The product - TRAVEL KITS - A Simple Way To Bless Others

Price - $12.45

Vendor - TOS

Contact information - http://www.theoldschoolhousestore.com/index.php

Phone# - 1-888-718-HOME

Recommended ages - All Ages

Upon seeing the title of this product, I was onboard. My initial thought was, gift baskets! ( I love gift baskets, both making and receiving them.) While first glancing through this e-book, I was immediately drawn to the colorful pictures. Each kit is presented so beautifully, and there are seemingly endless ideas throughout the pages. After quickly paging through the material, I was ready for the details. Author Donna Rees has laid out the book in such a way that, depending on your learning style, you may either skim the entire thing and get down to making your own kits, or take your time and enjoy the details - which really is worth it, and for me is half the fun. But, there again, that will depend on your style, available time, etc...

Okay, so what's involved in putting together a travel kit? Well, Donna gives us 6 basic questions to ask, so let's start there.

1. WHO? Who is the kit for? There is no age limit on this one; a travel kit works as well for a grandparent as it does for a young child.

2. WHAT? What do you put in it? Anything and everything, that's what! The best thing about creating these kits is that there's no right or wrong way. You can be as fancy or budget conscious as you need to be.

3. WHEN? When is an appropriate time to use these? Long car trips definitely, but I tell you what, sometimes an afternoon of running various errands works very well for me too.

4. WHERE? This could really be combined with the 'when' question. Really, wherever these would occupy a restless child, whether a long family vacation, or a quick trip to a baseball game.

5. HOW? You'll be planning ahead as you create these goodies, but how detailed is up to you. Your only limit is your own creativity.

6. WHY? The best part (at least I think so), is because it's so fun making these, but seeing the delight of the ones on the receiving end is very cool too. Also, should you choose to involve your little ones, (and the bigger ones too,) you're teaching them the joy of giving and serving others. And as homeschooling moms, we're always looking for the teachable moments right?

Well we've got the basic intro going, now it's time for more details, or, as my husband occasionally says," put the cookies on the lower shelf ". You'll have to plan a bit, thinking about what will best fit the recipient as far as their family size, car size, the cost, boys or girls. I really love the creativity of travel kits myself. You can take it as far as your imagination allows.

I took away several fresh ideas for the presentation alone. Who would think of a flowerpot as a possible container? Or what about those little pillbox containers for each day of the week, filled with little treats? How about an upside down hat, or one of my favorites, an empty, washed out ice cream container from a local ice cream shop?

Okay, we have some containers, so let's fill these bad boys. Snacks, always a good choice. Think healthy, and think neat, meaning it's probably best to avoid sticky gooey stuff. ( Wet wipes would be appreciated with your gift too). There are endless dollar store items, bracelets,toy cars, crafty items, stickers, wikki sticks, and the list goes on.

Another of the ideas that jumped out at me was the section on books. Of course there's a wide range in this category, from story books to puzzle books, to tracing books. What about recording your own audiobooks? Love that idea! So much that you can do with that. Have several different people read aloud a chapter, or different stories. Who knows,you might end up with a cherished family heirloom!

I also liked that you could add little toys or activities that relate to a book theme - like purchasing little plastic farm animals for Charlotte's Web or other animal stories.

For me, one of the best aspects of this resource is the way it adapts to whatever you need it to. This works as well for a grandparent, new mom, or teenager as it does for your preschoolers. And you know, what mom do you know who wouldn't love to be on the receiving end of one of these?

The price is right too. At $12.45, you're not gonna break the bank on this one folks. I'll be referring back to it frequently, I'm quite sure.

The author concludes with a delightfully lengthy list of websites and resources to help you on your way. So now, the only thing left to do is check out this e-book, and make someone a travel kit today!

Thanks for hanging out with me here. Keep checking back for future reviews. Next month, I'll let you know about a cool new handwriting product our family is using. Until later,