Real mail your child will race to the mailbox for.
Every month, Elder Oak sends your child a folktale, a wooden keepsake to paint, and a nature challenge, addressed by name. Screen-free, from $9/month, cancel anytime.
How It Works, in Three Steps
Three simple steps, from the envelope in your mailbox to the story at bedtime.
01
Receive a Letter Addressed to Your Child
Once a month, a kraft envelope addressed to your child by name arrives in your mailbox. Inside are a retold folktale from Elder Oak, a hands-on skill-building challenge, a coloring page, a sticker, and a wooden keepsake token to paint. It’s real mail for your child, with no screen needed.
02
Read the Folktale & Forest Notes Together
Open the seal together and read a retold folktale from Elder Oak. Then turn to Forest Notes, a parent-friendly guide with a simple habit nudge, family conversation starters for the dinner table, and a hands-on skill to try together.
03
Collect Keepsakes, Build Skills, Grow Character.
Every letter includes a stamped wooden keepsake token that takes watercolors beautifully, so kids can paint their own. Deluxe subscribers also collect animal highlight cards with paw prints and enjoy extra stickers. Each month’s hands-on challenge builds real-life skills and quiet character, like kindness, courage, and generosity.
Watch What Arrives in the Mail
Experience the joy of opening an Elder Oak package. Take a peek inside our October release, featuring thoughtfully packaged folktales, woodland crafts, and hands-on activities to spark creativity and wonder.
A monthly letter subscription for kids. Elder Oak retells classic folktales from around the world, each with a moral lesson and a real-life skill.
Simple, Honest Plans
Every subscription covers one child with letters addressed directly to them. Cancel anytime with zero hassle.
Every plan: 10% of profits go to International Justice Mission (IJM) to help end modern slavery.
One child per subscription • No commitments • Cancel or pause anytime with one click • Join by the 10th and your child’s first letter arrives this month
The Forest Letter
A timeless monthly folktale and keepsake
$8.25 a letter on annual plan
- ✓ One letter a month addressed directly to your child
- ✓ A classic folktale, retold and signed by Elder Oak, plus his Forest Notes
- ✓ Folklore backstory, habit nudge & "Talk About It" dinner prompts
- ✓ Monthly craft suggestion & outdoor exploration prompt
- ✓ 1 Keepsake sticker or temporary tattoo
- ✓ A coloring page
- ✓ Stamped wooden token
- ✓ Annual plan bonus: 1 month free + child's birthday card
The Deluxe Letter
Our most-loved, immersive hands-on experience
$12.50 a letter on annual plan
- ✓ Everything in the Forest Letter tier
- ✓ 2 stickers or tattoos each month (instead of 1)
- ✓ Collectible stamped wooden token that takes watercolor well, so kids can paint their own
- ✓ Collectible animal highlight card (trading-card size, 2.5" × 3.5": fun facts on one side, paw prints on the other)
- ✓ A hands-on craft activity each month, with supplies included
- ✓ Annual plan bonus: 1 month free + child's birthday card
Compare Our Plans
Discover what arrives with each monthly adventure.
Forest Letter
- Monthly letter addressed to child's name
- Retold folktale signed by Elder Oak
- Forest Notes (habit nudge, Talk About It prompts)
- Craft suggestion & nature walk invitation
- Whittled stamped wooden token
- 1 Keepsake — Woodland stickers or tattoos
- Collectible Animal Highlight Card (2.5" × 3.5" with paw prints)
- Full-page nature coloring art & field project
- Annual subscriber birthday card from Elder Oak
- 10% of profits to International Justice Mission
The Deluxe
- Monthly letter addressed to child's name
- Retold folktale signed by Elder Oak
- Forest Notes (habit nudge, Talk About It prompts)
- Craft suggestion & nature walk invitation
- Watercolor-ready whittled stamped wooden token
- 2 Keepsakes — Woodland stickers or tattoos
- Collectible Animal Highlight Card (2.5" × 3.5" with paw prints)
- Full-page nature coloring art & field project
- Annual subscriber birthday card from Elder Oak
- 10% of profits to International Justice Mission
Side-by-Side Tier Comparison
| Included Features | Forest Letter ($9/mo) | The Deluxe ($14/mo) |
|---|---|---|
| Monthly letter addressed to child's name | ||
| Retold folktale signed by Elder Oak | ||
| Forest Notes (habit nudge, Talk About It prompts) | ||
| Craft suggestion & nature walk invitation | ||
| Whittled stamped wooden token | (Watercolor Ready) | |
| Woodland stickers or tattoos | 1 Keepsake | 2 Keepsakes |
| Collectible Animal Highlight Card (2.5" × 3.5" with paw prints) | — | |
| Full-page nature coloring art & field project | — | |
| Annual subscriber birthday card from Elder Oak | ||
| 10% of profits to International Justice Mission |
How It Works, Our Families
My child waits eagerly for the mailbox every single month. It has genuinely made reading and learning feel like a magical adventure rather than a chore!
Parent Review
My child waits eagerly for the mailbox every single month. It has genuinely made reading and learning feel like a magical adventure rather than a chore!
Parent Review
My child waits eagerly for the mailbox every single month. It has genuinely made reading and learning feel like a magical adventure rather than a chore!
Young Reader's Review
A child who is taught to give is a gift to the world. So a tenth of everything we earn goes to children who were never given a chance.
We believe that raising capable, compassionate kids goes hand-in-hand with standing up for vulnerable children around the world.
10% of All Profits Go to International Justice Mission (IJM)
Every single subscription directly funds IJM's mission to protect people in poverty from violence, rescue children from trafficking and modern slavery, and restore families. When your child receives love in their mailbox, another child is given hope and safety.
From the Mom behind Elder Oak…
To Parents and Friends,
I created Elder Oak to bring back wonder to childhood, and to raise kids who can navigate a lost trail and cook a meal.
I want my children to appreciate slow thing, to treasure the created world, and to learn the basic skills people once passed down without thinking. Folklore is how those lessons traveled for generations.
I’m inspired by Tolstoy and The Chronicles of Narnia, stories full of faith, courage and old truths about right and wrong.
I’m a mom of three and we TRY to keep screen time low and save it for emergency use only, which means I yell, ‘go outside’ often. So hopefully they grow up to be decent humans, TBD.
One more thing worth mentioning. A tenth of everything we earn in profit goes to International Justice Mission, working to end modern-day slavery. A business built on telling children they matter should also do something for the children who are told otherwise.
Thank you for inviting us into your home.
Warmly from the Oak Grove,
Nancy
Frequently Asked Questions
Everything parents and grandparents need to know about subscriptions, shipping, and mailbox magic.
-
Our stories and activities are intentionally crafted for children ages 4 to 9. Younger children (ages 4–6) delight in having the folktale read aloud as a cozy bedtime ritual and coloring the craft pages. Older children (ages 7–9) can read the letter independently, complete the outdoor tasks, and collect the trading cards.
-
The Forest Letter ($9/mo) includes the monthly story letter, Elder Oak's Forest Notes, habit nudge, craft suggestion, 1 sticker/tattoo, and the whittled wooden token.
The Deluxe ($14/mo) is our complete hands-on experience: it includes everything above, plus 2 stickers, a collectible animal highlight trading card (2.5" × 3.5" with paw prints), a seasonal nature coloring/craft sheet, and a wooden token ready for watercolor painting. -
Much of the childhood magic lies in seeing their own name printed on the envelope and having their own personal keepsake token. To preserve this special feeling, each subscription is dedicated to one child. If you have siblings, we recommend choosing a subscription for each child so they each receive their own dispatch from Elder Oak.
-
Gifting is simple! During checkout, check "Is this a gift?". You can enter the grandchild's name and shipping address, and add an optional gift message from Grandma or Grandpa. The envelope will arrive directly in their mailbox with a warm note letting them know it was gifted by you.
-
Annual plans offer our best value! You receive 1 month free ($99/year for Forest Letter, $150/year for Deluxe) plus an official Birthday Card from Elder Oak mailed to your child during their birthday month!
-
Yes, absolutely. There are no contracts and no cancellation fees. You can pause or cancel your monthly subscription at any time with one click from your account or by sending us a quick email.
-
All orders are hand-packaged in Dallas, Texas. Your child's welcome envelope is mailed via First-Class USPS mail within 2 to 3 business days of subscribing, and future letters arrive around the same time each month.