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| UPDATE 2017: No candy or toothpaste allowed. |
I've been trying to get organized for shopping for next year's Operation Christmas Child shoeboxes we will be packing. I still need to do a little more work on the organizing of the stock before I post on that...I'll edit this post when I do so to give the link for that. But I did make a tentative list of what we need to shop for/are planning to pack, and thought I'd share it in case anyone was interested.
I divided it between what all boxes-regardless of age or gender-would get, then the additional things that will go in certain ages. These are just draft lists and may change slightly depending on what we may find, have donated, learn more
about/have laid on our hearts, or decide can fit. Some of the differences for the different ages are not because something isn't appropriate for a certain age, but because each group we pack for: 2-4 Boy, 2-4 Girl, 10-14 Girl, & 10-14 Boy (we've heard 5-9 get the most, so we don't do those ages) is assigned to a different member of our family and we all have different needs that we are burdened for these kids, and obviously in the 300-500 cubic inches of a shoebox we can't put in everything we may wish!
- Soap
- Washcloth
- Toothbrush
- Coloring tools (colored pencils/watercolors/crayons)
- Pencil case, or small bag(s)
- Pencils, regular & decorative (5 for 2-4s, 8 for 10-14s)
- Pencil Sharpners
- Eraser
- Socks
- Ball
- Stuffed animal/doll/something to love
- Bonus item (purse, tin, something we just see)
- Small hole fillers/bonus items (tops, whistles, jewelry, balloons/temporary tattoos, etc.)
- Candy [Update 2017 -- candy is no longer allowed]
If possible (cost & room
wise):
- Hats
- Soap case
- Toothbrush case/caps
- Totebag
- Flipflops
- Flashlights & batteries
2-4 Year Olds
- Paper 1 (Coloring book or plain)
- Paper 2 (lined or plain)
- Cup/bowl/etc
- Outfit
- Lovie blanket
- Toy 1 (puzzle, lacing toy, etch-a-sketch, etc)
- Toy 2 (hotwheels, Harmonica, Punch balloon, board book, etc)
Girls
- Eating utensils
- Hair bows
Boys
- Stickers
- Toothpaste
- Whistle
- Comb
· 10-14 Year olds
- Lined paper
- Unlined paper
- Pens
o
2
Black
o
2
Blue
- Ruler/compass/protractor/stencil/or/spirograph
- Toy 1 (puzzle, building kit, yo-yo, jump rope)
- Toy 2 (checkers, dominoes, marbles)
- Gloves
- Comb
·
Girls
- · Whistle
- · Sewing kit
- · Stationery
o
Colored
pen
o
Paper
o
Envelopes
- Optional:
o
Magnifying
glass (that actually works and is non-breakable)
o
Pretty
handkerchief
Boys
- · T shirt
- · Hat/scarf/etc.
Update to add: Here is a link to my post on How I Organize my Operation Christmas Child Shoebox Stockpile.
If you would like to see some examples of boxes we packed you can find them here: Operation Christmas Child Shoeboxes We Packed in 2016.
For the magnifying glass...it's hard in the Processing Center to tell which ones are breakable. Even if it's not, it's possible that someone might think it's an inappropriate item and remove it from the box. If it's glass, it would be considered inappropriate. If it's not, you may want to label it some way to indicate it's not glass.
ReplyDeleteYes, it'd be plastic, but that's good thought, I'll be sure to label it if I get any-thanks!
ReplyDeleteOr you could wrap it in bubble wrap so either way it would be okay.
ReplyDeletegenealogyangel-that's a good thought, but I'm not sure they would let it through the processing inspection anyways as they have to ban breakable items.
ReplyDeleteThank you for sharing this list. I need to come up with something like this and it is really helpful. I will use your list as a guide. Blessings...
ReplyDelete