Sometimes we take family vacations for granted. The pleasure of climbing into the car and escaping for a while is always an option. However, there are many people who, due to health, financial, or other reasons, don’t have the privilege of taking short jaunts or extended vacations. Why not bring a vacation to them by creating a Bring-It-Back-Box?
A Bring-It-Back-Box can be made from a cardboard box or plastic container with a lid. A wooden box put together as a family project can be even more creative. Using craft supplies such as paints, crayons, and stickers, spend an evening as a family decorating the box.
Whenever your family takes a vacation, whether to the mountains, the beach, the zoo, or to visit a relative in another state, make it a point to collect mementos from your trip. Place these mementos in your homemade box, and when you’ve collected quite a few items, give to someone who may never be able to travel to those places. Remember: you don’t have to travel far to find a treasure for your Bring-It-Back-Box. Some suggestions for ideas are as follows:
• A pinecone or pretty rock from your camping trip.
• A seashell or sand dollar from the beach.
• A small stuffed animal from the zoo gift shop.
• A beautiful pressed flower from Grandma’s yard.
• A drawing of the butterflies at the butterfly farm you visited.
• A dried cattail, interesting leaf, or feather from a family walk.
• A postcard from your trip to another state.
• A coin from that far-off country your family traveled to.
• A picture of your family from an exciting adventure at the aquarium.
To experience this activity even more fully, collect duplicates of the items that your family places in the Bring-It-Back-Box and use them for your family’s memory box!
Up for Discussion
Why would creating a Bring-It-Back-Box provide cheer for someone unable to travel? Would that person enjoy receiving a token from one of your trips? Can you think of any other items you could add to his or her box?
So many items that can be used for the Bring-It-Back-Box are those found in nature. God created nature for us to enjoy. Any object found in nature is the best kind to include!
Challenge your parents or sibling(s) to list how many animals they can think of in one minute. How many did you come up with? Why do you think God chose to make so many different types of animals? Why is it important to have an awareness and appreciation for all that God created?
God made the wild animals according to their kinds, the livestock according to their kinds, and all the creatures that move along the ground according to their kinds. And God saw that it was good.
—Gen. 1:25