MSU Extension 4-H Military Family Programs

The Magic Box: When Parents Can’t Be There to Tuck You In

• Title: The Magic Box: When Parents Can’t Be There to Tuck You In
• Author: Marty Sederman and Seymour Epstein
• Illustrator: Karen Stormer Brooks
• Publisher: Magination Press, Washington, DC 
• Date of Publication: 2003
• Audience Age: 4 years and up 

Summary 

In this book, Casey copes with his dad’s frequent overnight business trips by making a surprise for his father using the supplies in a special box. The book contains many valuable tips for families in which a parent frequently travels away from home.

Pre-Deployment Activities 

Make magic boxes. Make one for your service member to take with him or her and one for each family member. Place a favorite photo in the magic box. As a family, pick out a favorite bedtime story that everyone will read before they go to bed at night. Get two copies of the book, one to keep at home and one to send with your service member. On the inside cover of the book, write special messages to each other and read those during story time.

During-Deployment Activities 

Put special items in your magic box that you want to share with your service member when he or she returns from deployment. These items can be photos, ticket stubs, drawings, report cards or other special tokens. Your service member will do the same thing while away, collecting special items and placing them in a magic box to share with the family when he or she returns. Make a storybook about what you will do as a family when your service member returns. Include things such as what you will eat, where you will go and what activities you will do together. Include pictures, drawings and descriptions. You can use plain white paper folded in half and stapled in the middle to make your book.

Post-Deployment Activities 

Share with your service member the magic box items you collected during deployment. Be sure to include details about why you put an item in your box and what it means to you. Have your service member share the contents of his or her magic box and explain the reasons for the inclusion of specific items. Read your storybook together. Show your service member what things the family would like to do together now that he or she is home. Decide as a family what activities you will do and when you will do them.

Supporting Military Families During Deployment with Books & Activities

Deployment involves moving an individual or military unit within the country or to another country. A mission or task might include training, supporting communities during times of disaster, helping foreign countries or fighting in a war. The many changes happening with each departure and return create difficulties for both service members and their families.

Michigan State University (MSU) Extension and Michigan 4-H are committed to supporting the more than 20,000 Michigan military children and youth, and their families, through programming and community education. 

Programs for Military Families Include: 

• 4-H clubs on installations and in communities
• "4-H 101" and "4-H 201" training for military staff
• Operation: Military Kids (OMK) - supporting children of deployed soldiers
• Speak Out for Military Kids (SOMK) - preparing teens to speak on military life and deployment 
• Hero Packs - saying thank you to military children and youth
• Military 4-H Club Grants - supporting 4-H clubs for military youth and integrating them into county 4-H programs
• Community Awareness Training - educating the public on issues facing military families experiencing a deployment
• Special recognition events during Month of the Military Child and Month of the Military Family 
• Educational and recreational events and opportunities for military families 

4-H Military Family Book Sheets

The 4-H Military Family Book Sheets help parents and guardians find books and activities to help their children during various stages of their service members’ deployments. Each book sheet contains a summary of the book, author and publication details, and activities that they can use with their children pre-, during or post-deployment to extend the message of the book. To find each book, check with your local library, bookstore or online retailer. 

• Before reading: Show your child the front and back cover of the book. Ask him or her to guess what the book is about. 
• While reading: Stop at any time if something comes up that you or your child would like to talk about. 
• After reading: Spend time talking about the story. 

Learn More! 

Connect with us on Facebook: Search "Michigan Operation: Military Kids" and "Michigan 4-H." 

For more information on supporting military families, visit the following websites: 

• MSU Extension: (msue.anr.msu.edu)
• Michigan 4-H Youth Development: (www.4-hmilitarypartnerships.org)
• Operation: Military Kids: (http://www.operationmilitarykids.org)