The Perfect Care Package

From Cookies to Whimsical Toys - Cures for the Homesick Blues.

Chocolate chip cookies, molasses crisps, Devil's Food stuffed with peanut butter chips and toffee bits - a box of homemade cookies not only gladdens the heart and taste buds of students subsisting on dorm food, it makes them really popular with roommates too. Bake up a dozen or two of his favorite kind from scratch or grab a package of Nestles or Pillsbury refrigerated cookie dough at the supermarket and crank up the oven.

Remember way back, when nothing said "I love you" like a mix tape? Make a 21st century equivalent for your college kid. Burn the latest "Office" episode or "America's Next Top Model" diva meltdown on a blank DVD and ship it off. Your child can watch it on his laptop, then dissect Tyra's posing tips or Dwight Schrute's latest geeky escapade with you by phone.

Cross country championships, a profile of a beloved teacher or the latest scandal to hit your town - keep your child up to date by tucking the occasional copy of your hometown paper into the box. (Just don't go overboard - no one wants to read piles of clippings!) Or use the comics pages as entertaining stuffing to keep the contents from shifting.

Andy Riley's subversive books about little bunnies and the many ways they try to end it all, from toaster mishaps to submarine misadventures, are hilarious won't-interfere-with-studying fare for dorm dwellers. Already own the entire bunny series? Try a Zits cartoon collection or Mad Libs.

Toothpaste, vitamins and first aid supplies are no fun to buy on a frugal student budget, but they're essential so the occasional tube of toothpaste or box of floss is a welcome addition to any care package. Make it a tube of Spongebob Squarepants toothpaste, and you'll get a laugh. (Caution: children's toothpaste tends to be sickly sweet, so you might opt for a travel-sized tube and follow up with a large tube of the regular minty stuff.)

Remember those Magic 8 balls? Let Dr. Freud's therapy ball answer those stress-filled questions - "Doctor, how will I do on my midterm?" - with non-committal replies, such as "Hmmm, how does that make you feel?" Or tuck in a Slinky, a Koosh ball or other de-stressing desk-top toy.

Snuggly chenille socks make studying that much cozier, always a help in the far-from-home environment of a dorm. Try a pair in soft pastels, argyles or Fair Isle patterns, or more manly shades.