U.S. History Abroad's Box Swap is a HUGE Success!

Boxes have been sent out and our U.S. History Abroad students are starting to get their surprises in the mail! Nearly 100 foreign service kids participated from all over the world!
We had 38 different countries represented—from Argentina to Kazakhstan to Vietnam! And it’s been so exciting to hear about all the goodies our families sent and received!
Kids in our U.S. History Abroad community were asked to build a box with items that were unique to their post. They also filled out a sheet with clues to where their box was coming from. Our team then coordinated the swap and boxes were sent out! Kids got to receive and open a box that way sent by another FS kid somewhere else in the world! And they got the chance to guess where it came from too.
We had 38 different countries represented—from Argentina to Kazakhstan to Vietnam! And it’s been so exciting to hear about all the goodies our families sent and received!
Kids in our U.S. History Abroad community were asked to build a box with items that were unique to their post. They also filled out a sheet with clues to where their box was coming from. Our team then coordinated the swap and boxes were sent out! Kids got to receive and open a box that way sent by another FS kid somewhere else in the world! And they got the chance to guess where it came from too.
The kiddos got creative and filled their boxes with so many different things, like:
|
|
Someone even included a local newspaper in their box!
A box from Mexico had cookies, marzipan candy, handmade bookmarks, Mexican cocoa, and a lotería game. A box from Thailand had fruit candies, seafood chips, a t-shirt, and elephant collectibles. A box from Botswana included a pin of the country’s flag, a tub of peanut butter, a handmade zebra ornament, tea, and some money! The importance of the Box Swap I’ve always found that the more you learn about the world, the more you want to know about the world—and our kids are the same! With every new post and every new country, they’re learning more and more and their curiosity grows. That’s partially what inspired our U.S. History Abroad Box Swap! |

Building an FS community for kids
One of the most challenging parts of moving every couple years to a brand new country is helping our kids feel a sense of community. Our U.S. History Abroad community is so special in that it brings FS kids together from all over the world! Kids worked hard to put together a special box for someone else and receiving a box in return connects them to another kid who’s living a similar (but just as unique) life.
One of the most challenging parts of moving every couple years to a brand new country is helping our kids feel a sense of community. Our U.S. History Abroad community is so special in that it brings FS kids together from all over the world! Kids worked hard to put together a special box for someone else and receiving a box in return connects them to another kid who’s living a similar (but just as unique) life.
Teaching our kids about the world
FS kids have such a unique opportunity to see the world! And they tend to see so much more of it than their peers back at home. Living in new countries opens their eyes to the greater world and tends to spark their curiosity. With the Box Swap, our kids are able to see and learn about even more of the world. With the Box Swap, they literally get a taste of what other FS kids are eating (or seeing or playing with) across the globe!
FS kids have such a unique opportunity to see the world! And they tend to see so much more of it than their peers back at home. Living in new countries opens their eyes to the greater world and tends to spark their curiosity. With the Box Swap, our kids are able to see and learn about even more of the world. With the Box Swap, they literally get a taste of what other FS kids are eating (or seeing or playing with) across the globe!
Keeping FS life exciting!
We’re always looking for ways to keep our FS kids engaged in our community, and keep them excited to learn. U.S. History Abroad is much more than teaching kids about American history, it’s also about helping them build confidence, compassion, community, and connection. Fun activities like the Box Swap are just the tip of the iceberg when it comes to all the creative ways we keep FS life exciting for our kids!
Your family can be a part of our wonderful community too! We strive to help your kids better connect not just to their unique life abroad, but also to their country back at home! If you haven’t yet, join our Toolbox for Foreign Service Families Facebook group and be a part of our next Box Swap—and so many other fun things created just for our FS community!
We’re always looking for ways to keep our FS kids engaged in our community, and keep them excited to learn. U.S. History Abroad is much more than teaching kids about American history, it’s also about helping them build confidence, compassion, community, and connection. Fun activities like the Box Swap are just the tip of the iceberg when it comes to all the creative ways we keep FS life exciting for our kids!
Your family can be a part of our wonderful community too! We strive to help your kids better connect not just to their unique life abroad, but also to their country back at home! If you haven’t yet, join our Toolbox for Foreign Service Families Facebook group and be a part of our next Box Swap—and so many other fun things created just for our FS community!