My daughter leaves next week for three weeks in Chile. She will be living with a host family and we would like to send her with a gift from the U.S.A. for her host parents -- please any suggestions!

We have sent all of our kids off as exchange students, hosted kids in our home from a few days to nearly a year, and I enjoy homestays when I study Spanish in CA. In my opinion, it's important to not be so extravagant the gift makes them uncomfortable. We like to give (and receive) small items from the area of the traveler. For us that's chocolate covered dried cherries, small myrtlewood vases, and especially a book of photographs of Oregon, a very diverse and beatuiful state. Calendars work well for that, too. Especially if there's not a common, fluent language, photographs are a great way to break the ice. We also pack along lots of photos of our home, community, and family and friends.

When I travel I take small toys to give to kids along the way. My favorite is a green rubber frog finger puppet/pencil topper.

You can also search for "family gifts" - this has come up quite a lot. I hope your daughter's experience is as positive as ours have been!