Hey, Summer Campers!

Just the thought of making friends at summer camp may seem daunting or downright scary to some—especially kids who are on the shier side. But making friends is actually one of the easiest parts about a camp stay. In fact, it’s something that campers tend to stop worrying about once they set foot in the natural surroundings of summer camp. Conversation naturally strikes up with another kid and, before either one of them realizes it, they’re getting along great!

It’s natural to feel nervous about meeting new people, but there’s really nothing to worry about. Going hand-in-hand with making friends, here are a few benefits that are sure to make you eager to mingle!

Boosts Confidence
Having friends means you have a support system. And it feels great knowing that you have people who are willing to back you up. Knowing that you’re in a community, surrounded by other campers who appreciate you and believe in you is positive reinforcement from peers to just keep doing what you’re doing. You’re great! A boost in confidence makes it easier to talk with people which will in turn boost your confidence even further. Aren’t friends the best?

Distracts from Homesickness
Every child misses home throughout their time away at camp. But the severity of homesickness your camper experiences depends on how much time they spend thinking about how homesick they are. Getting acquainted with other campers naturally keeps a camper focused on having fun in the moment instead of leaving their thoughts to wander about parents or pets or what might be going on at home right now…. Make friends and get involved in summer camp fun to lessen your feelings of homesickness.

Strengthens Self Identity
Camp’s not just about making friends—it’s about getting to know YOURSELF too! And a funny thing happens when you’re away from mom and dad. You do things a little differently than you otherwise would. You take some risks within your character and start making choices based on different principles. It’s not uncommon for campers to start acting a bit differently as they start to discover things about themselves that they never knew were there before.

Connecting to the summer camp community imparts life lessons to campers every summer. Making friends helps us see ourselves through a different lens and offers the great opportunity of networking. You might meet someone from the other side of the country—or, even, the world! Discover the ease of making friends at camp and the awesome benefits that follow when you head off for your stay at summer camp. And, as always, thanks for reading!

- John

Hey, Camp Folks!

Summer is a perfect time to enjoy nature, and a trip to summer camp is one way to give your kids a terrific summer experience in the great outdoors. However, summer also brings some dangers from insects. Read on to learn how to avoid ticks at camp with the simple tips to ensure your summer season is safer and more enjoyable.

What Are Ticks?
A tick is a tiny insect, almost the size of a watermelon seed. These parasitic insects bite and attach to the skin of mammals, including humans, sucking blood over time.

Ticks differ from mosquitos in that they don’t fly and they move slowly. Once a tick latches onto your skin, it may remain in place for several hours or days. During the bite, the ticks can infect humans with viruses, bacteria, and other parasites that can lead to serious illnesses.

Avoiding Ticks
Ticks exist in areas with tall grass and near wooded areas. Walking through grass or brushing against shrubs and small trees can allow a tick to climb onto your body. Wearing long sleeves and long pants can prevent a tick that’s crawling on you from reaching your skin.

Another way to avoid ticks at camp is through treating clothing and skin with repellents. Use permethrin on your clothing to repel or kill any ticks that land on your clothes. Using an insect repellent that contains DEET on your skin will provide protection too.

Checking for Ticks
Because ticks are so small, they can often climb onto a human and bite without the victim’s knowledge. Checking yourself for ticks after spending time outdoors is extremely important. Be sure to check for ticks in front of a mirror, so you can check your back and neck.

To kill ticks that may be hiding on your clothing, run the clothes through a dryer on high heat for at least 10 minutes. Additionally, take a shower after walking in areas where ticks may exist. The shower can wash away any ticks on the skin, while also helping you find any ticks in your wet hair.

- John

Hey, Summer Campers!

You’re sure to have a blast at summer camp. You’ll be spending the days in the sun, running around with your friends, going on long hiking excursions, and…say—you’re going to get pretty thirsty while you’re there. For today’s Blog post I’ll be going over some good hydration information to keep in mind while you’re summer camping.

It should be pretty obvious to all of you how essential water is in our lives and extremely important to our own survival. It makes up 60% of our own bodies. So, you can clearly see then, staying hydrated during your fun in the sun this summer is a very important responsibility.

Fortunately our bodies utilize rather advanced systems that let us know when we need to refuel in order to stay hydrated. There’s a big difference between being thirsty and being dehydrated. When you’re feeling thirsty, you’re simply not as hydrated as you could be or as hydrated as your body would prefer itself to be.

When you go too long sweating in the sun, running around, and exercising without the help of hydration—after your body has made use of every last drop of water or other fluids it still had—is when you suffer dehydration.

You’ll know you’re dehydrated when your mouth is dry, you get a headache, and you start feeling weak, dizzy, sleepy, continuously thirsty, or even feverish. Severe and untreated dehydration can result in full blown fevers, unconsciousness, and eventually death. Without a single drop of water in the harsh environment of a desert, you would be lucky to survive a day! That’s how important water is.

Luckily, dehydration is more-than-treatable should you ever find yourself or someone you know in the situation. Make sure to drink plenty of water along with fresh juice. And if you’re severely dehydrated, you’ll need fluid with electrolytes (as can be found in the clever bottled water brand SmartWater).

So “water” you waiting for? Enjoy your summer. Enjoy your water! And, as always, thanks for reading!

- John

Hey, Smart Packers!

Summer camp lasts a long time. Long enough to make the prospect of storing all the things you need for a month-long (or longer) stay away from home a real dilemma. You can’t go more than a month without a lot of these necessities you bring along, whether they are clothes, toiletries, electronics, or other personal items, but your space at camp is going to be very limited.

Fortunately, Everything Summer Camp offers a wide range of options to help allay the storage conundrum. Foot locker trunks in various sizes and colors can be personalized and make the storage issue a fun one. A Create-Your-Own Footlocker Trunk made of steel and birch plywood is customizable, roomy, and sized to fit under your camp bunk. A camera, souvenirs, clothes, and other necessities can easily fit in this foot locker, which can be accessorized with a Glide & Go Tray to hold small items. This birch plywood camp trunk with a baked enamel steel outer covering, nickel-plated trim and screw-fastened hardware offers 3.8 feet of storage space, which is ample room for a kid’s camp essentials. The trunks leave Everything Summer Camp’s warehouse within four business days after your customized order. Foot lockers in other sizes include the Happy Camper (32″ x 18″ x 13.5″), UnderGrad (32″ x 18″ x 16.5″) and Graduate Foot Locker Trunk (32″ x 18″ x 18.5″).

A snap-on duffel bag is another handy and colorful storage option. It doubles packing space and snaps on to a foot locker, giving you an auxiliary means of storing bulky pillows, blankets, and towels and leaving more space in the foot locker for other stuff that matters. Soft, nylon travel packing cubes can save space in your trunk, sparing you the hassle of rummaging through shirt piles and helping you keep your clothes organized. With mesh tops and labeling pouches, you know exactly what’s inside each cube without having to dig through them. The cubes can also serve as a standalone overnight bag. Glide & Go Trays sit inside your trunk and slide from side to side, making the contents of the foot locker easier to grab.

As always, thanks for reading!

- John

Hey, Sleepy Heads!

Some kids can sleep through anything. Parents who are blessed to have such deep sleepers can count on their children to fall asleep easily and sleep through the night like clockwork. But, for other kids, changes in their environment and surroundings can have an impact on how well they sleep each night. For many kids, the biggest adjustment to “sleepaway” camp is embodied in the first part of that word: Sleep. For lots of kids, being away from home means having trouble sleeping.

 Whether kids are dealing with anxiety over being away from home, or whether they are overstimulated by their new surroundings and a break from their normal routine back home, sleeping can be a real challenge for some kids at summer camp. One way to remedy this is for them to take time to calm down 30 minutes before getting into bed. They should do their best to avoid any exertion or stimulating activities during this period that might get their adrenaline pumping. It can help to  take their time with pre-bedtime activities like brushing their teeth, washing up and getting into their pajamas.

 Another factor that can preclude a good night’s sleep at summer camp is not psychological or emotional, but rather, environmental. The barracks where your child will be sleeping may not be as comfortable as their room at home and they will be sharing the space with other people, some of whom may snore or toss and turn. The cabin probably lacks air-conditioning and could be very hot, it could be noisy, and there might be more or less light than they're used to. When kids get into bed, they should try to make themselves comfortable with extra pillows or blankets and maybe even a sleeping pad for extra cushioning. A fan can help them stay cool and will help block out some noise. Also, a sleep mask or a night light may help them feel more at home.

It might help for kids trying to sleep well at summer camp to replicate as much of their pre-bedtime routine from home as they are able to. Doing things in the same order they would at home might help: If they wash their face first, then brush their teeth, then use the bathroom before they put on their pajamas at home, they should try doing those things in exactly the same order at camp. Kids are largely creatures of routine, and while camp is, in many respects, a way to actively break them out of their routines, there is no point in messing with a bedtime ritual that works. A well-rested kid is more likely to have a positive attitude, more energy, and a better sleepaway camp experience than one who is always sleep-deprived.

Enjoy your Zzz’s at summer camp and, as always, thanks for reading!

- John