resources for kids of all ages

so i've gotten a couple emails recently about a bunch of different resources for kids of all ages (and all branches) dealing with preparing, dealing with, and life after the deployment. hope these help!

operation purple: www.militaryfamily.org/our-programs/operation-purple
operation purple is a summer camp program for military children, from 7 years old to 17 years old. with locations all across the usa, what better way for your kiddo to get away, make some new friends and be reminded they're not alone in this adventurous life. applications are due by april 16th, but if you miss the deadline this year, you can always send your kiddo next year.

ourmilitarykids.com: www.ourmilitarykids.com
ourmilitarykids.com is a website that lists various programs supported by the group of donors, specifically for national guard and all military reserve families.

vt research magazine article to help you understand your teen and deployment: www.research.vt.edu/resmag/researchmagjan06/deploy.html
the article in the virginia tech research magazine may shed a little more light are what you'll be facing when your soldier deploys leaving you and your teen behind. heads up, they've lowered the age of 'teens' to start as early 10 years old for some kids.

united through reading: www.unitedthroughreading.org
i have a new favorite resource! united through reading is sponsored by the uso. your soldier can go in to your post's uso before he deploys and pick out a book, be recorded reading it on a dvd, and then when he deploys, your little one will get mail, with the book and the dvd so they can have their very own 'daddy story.' what's great, many airports have a uso equipped to provide this service and so do several of the uso's in the middle east, just in case he doesn't get a chance to make a dvd before he deploys. and it's not just for your littlest ones, they have books even for your tween and teen.

what military teens want you to know toolkit: www.militaryfamily.org/assets/pdf/what-military-teens-want-you-to-know-toolkit.pdf
not sure what your teen is thinking or feeling about your soldier, their job and their deployment? the what military teens want you to know toolkit gives you ten things to make you think about what your teen's facing and how they might be feeling about not just the deployment, but your soldier's military career and military life as a whole.

there are tons more that i'm hunting down and going to share with y'all soon!