Hey, Camp Folks!

It’s the end of July and the camp season is winding down. Most campers are likely either returned or still away for their stay. For some of you the rush of the camp season is already over. Others just need to pick up their kid on closing day. Time to unpack and take a year-long break from all the planning and prepping and thinking about summer camp. Right?

That’s an option, sure. However, if you push yourself to go the extra mile in putting away your gear now, the work for next season could already be done for you. Do it now while it’s fresh in your kid’s mind!

Listen to your kid’s stories and answers to your questions. You may learn that the raincoat didn’t fit or that the sandals hurt their feet. Ask them if their Duffel Bag was spacious enough for them to conveniently live out of or was it cramped and limiting—things like that.

As you go through your child’s gear to put everything away, ask your camper what worked well and didn’t. Should you discover a giant tear in their laundry bag, don’t just put it away and leave the problem for yourself to deal with next season. Instead, set it aside to throw away or cut up for dust cloths. Make a note to replace the laundry bag and do the same for any cracked water bottles or fans.

A more in-depth guide can be found right here on a previous post.

And, of course, listen to your child and ask them about the non-material aspects of summer camp. Was it lots of fun? Were they comfortable enough being away from home? How did they do at making friends?

Solutions to any problems your kid may have encountered at summer camp can be found by scrolling through our advice posts here on the Blog or in the invaluable guidebook, ‘The Summer Camp Handbook‘ from camp experts Dr. Christopher Thurber and Dr. Jon Malinowski. Check out this great book when you click here and browse our site for any other camping gear or summer camp supplies would have made things easier this year.

We sincerely hope you all had the best camp stay possible this summer. Enjoy the rest of the summer season and, as always, thanks for reading.

- John

Hey, Summertime Explorers!

We love discussing all the amazing activities that may be available to you for your summer camp stay. If you’re passionate about Caving (also known as ‘spelunking’), maybe you were fortunate enough to attend a camp that offers it as one of their activities! Cave exploration is a thrilling experience. Today we're talking about some of the ways for you to get the most out of this awesome opportunity!

The advice to “travel light” has never been more appropriate than with Caving. Be safe with the proper equipment. Bring enough, but only what you need and the lighter-weight your gear is, the better! A few essentials to have along are:     

• Food and Water—Have enough with you to last at least a day or even two.
• First Aid Kit—When accidents happen you need to be prepared under the ground.
• Extra Clothes—Caves are notorious for wet and muddy conditions; have an extra set of clothes to change into when your adventure is over.

Don’t Take it to the Limit
If you’re starting to feel kind of weird, be sure to let others know it. If you start feeling tired, uncomfortable, claustrophobic, or just not quite right, make sure that you take a break and rest before continuing on.

Stick Together
Caving trips should always be done in groups. The only reason to ever split from the group would be a serious injury or emergency.

Have a Plan
Confirm that every in your group knows what the emergency plan is. Appoint someone as the trip leader to make decisions during the crisis. You should only ever take action without consulting your trip leader if you’re life’s endangered.

Rule of Three
Similar to climbers, cave explorers should maintain three points of contact to prevent you from slipping and falling.  When moving on rough terrain, always keep three points of contact.

Protect the Cave
It’s simple: Take nothing but photos, leave nothing but footprints. Caves are fragile ecosystems. It’s the natural habitat of the bat. Bats live and breed in caves. You should never damage or alter the cave and definitely never leave any trash behind. Also, do not disturb the bats!

Check out a previous Blog post about the boys who discovered the Crystal Cave here in our home state of Wisconsin. Click here to read it and enjoy spelunking if you get the opportunity to this summer! Have fun and experience a whole new world that’s totally peaceful, pitch-black, and quiet. As always, thanks for reading!

- John 

Happy Best Friends Day, Besties!

Best friends are great. You might hope to spend nearly every waking hour of these long summer days together. You’ll have plenty of time for that, but what about when the time comes for your summer camp stay? Maybe your friend isn’t going to camp or maybe you’ll be attending different camps.

Of course having your best friend join you for camp would be a blast! You’d create so many memories of summer camp fun—a season sure to go down in the books as one of the best summers for the pair of you! Maybe some year you’ll be able to make that happen, but sometimes it can be a good thing to spend a little time away from your friend.

Don’t Shortchange your Camp Experience
Camp gives kids the opportunity to be themselves. At camp, kids have the space to discover more about who they are and the freedom to be even more of their authentic selves. Attending camp with your best friend would likely hinder the opportunity to rediscover yourself. For this reason, many kids prefer to attend a camp without a friend from home. Learn more about attending camp with a friend from this Blog post from camp expert Dr. Chris Thurber.

Growing Together, Separately
Though some of you may feel as though your best friend is a long lost identical twin, you are still your own individual personalities. Allow each other space to grow on your own too! Just because your interests may differ from your best friend’s doesn’t mean you two aren’t great friends! Sometimes friends need to grow apart a little bit in order to keep growing together!

Fond Farewells Forge Fonder Hellos
Absence Makes the Heart Grow Fonder. Think of all the fun memories your best friend will have to tell you and how much you will have for them when you finally see each other again! You’ll likely find your relationship is renewed and feels stronger than it was before! Be sure to be a good friend and really listen to all the things your friend wants to fill you in on!

Be thankful for your best friend today. Let them know how much they mean to you today and, as always, thanks for reading!

- John

Hey, Camp Folks!

At Everything Summer Camp, we understand the importance of correspondence with your camper during their summer stay. It’s incredibly important they know that you’ve been thinking of them while they’re away. And since most camps limit their campers’ contact with the outside world solely to letters in the mail, we thought we’d offer the Summer Camp Greeting Card Pack.

We just worked on a bunch of new Cards—writing and designing them—so there’s a great new selection for you to pick from when you click right here. These Summer Camp Greeting Cards are a great sentiment and such a great show of thoughtfulness. Write a little message inside the card or just send it as is. Either way, it’s sure to put a smile on your camper’s face.

Not only is it good for a smile but it helps kids cope with a little homesickness. Let’s them know that everything is A-okay back home and their loved ones are thinking of them. Summer camp expert Dr. Chris Thurber discusses the importance of camp correspondence in a previous Blog post he supplied us with called Write Right. Check it out by clicking here.

From general camp-themed cards to other themes geared toward specific interests like fishing or horseback riding and, of course, all those magical camp moments, you’re sure to find a set of cards that speak to you for your camper. There’s a card for campers to send home as well!

Five cards in a set. You won’t find cards like these anywhere else. Pick the Set of 5 Cards (with their colorful envelopes) that fit your camper best and drop a warm hello with these cute, campy cards!

Enjoy these cute cards with your kids and get your Summer Camp Greeting Card Pack today. You can browse our Postcards too and other Stationery products right here and, as always, thanks for reading.

- John

Boys and girls who feel part of the decision to attend camp are happy during camp. It’s as simple as that. Their sense of agency or “being in control” is greatest when they get to choose what camp to attend, when in the summer to go and how long to stay. Stated differently, young people who feel forced to go to camp are more likely to feel homesick. Gulp.

Of course, most parents don’t force their children to attend camp, but many parents do overlook the value of including their son or daughter in all of the big and small decisions made after registration is complete. So now that you’re enrolled at camp, here’s a list of ways to include your son or daughter in the pre-arrival process:

Have your child help complete the camp’s health form. They may not know the dates of their immunizations, but they can certainly print their name, address, and phone number at the top of the form. Explain what other information is included on the health form and how the form is used at camp. Review any allergies or illnesses that need attention at camp, especially those in which the child collaborates in care, such as asthma and diabetes.

Have your child assemble your correspondence kit. Pack a zipped freezer bag with pre-stamped, pre-addressed envelopes, paper, and pens. This activity is even more fun when you pick the addresses of letter recipients together. Have grandparents contributed to camp tuition this year? Be sure to address a couple letters to them as well. Packing stickers to decorate envelopes at camp will increase positive anticipation about this new way to keep in touch.

Call the camp director together and request the names and numbers of a few returning camper families who live close to you. Only a few camps set up formal pen pals or “big sibs” for new campers, but most other camps are happy to informally link new and returning campers. Involving your son or daughter in making that first social connection at camp is a powerful way to promote positive adjustment.

Shop together. This doesn’t have to be time-consuming or expensive, but it should be a shared activity. Many well-intentioned parents have taken the camp’s packing list and completed purchases without the child’s ever knowing. Some moms and dads even pack their child’s trunk for them! This misguided generosity takes away from boys’ and girls’ sense of agency and puts them at greater risk for intense homesickness. Here are my suggestions:

Sit down with your son or daughter and review the camp’s packing list. (What? No packing list? Download it from the camp’s website or request it as an e-mail attachment from the camp. Every high-quality camp publishes a packing or equipment list.)

Together, check the items that you already have. Remember, camp is not the place for monogrammed towels and heirloom sweaters. Everything you decide to pack should be appropriate for a rugged outdoor setting, no matter where the camp is situated.

Highlight the recommended items that you don’t have. Find an online vendor or local store where you can purchase these items and set a date for shopping together. Most packing lists don’t include toiletries, so add things like deodorant, toothpaste, bug repellent lotion (not flammable spray), and (for young ladies) tampons or pads. Intense physical activity and prolonged wearing of damp bathing suits can cause chafing and itching. Therefore, I recommend packing Gold Bond Powder or its generic equivalent.

Shop for all your needed items together. Something as simple as picking out the color of the new toothbrush will give your son or daughter a healthy sense of agency over the camp experience. Enjoy this co-shopping experience and share your positive expectations for camp. (A little nervous about your child being away? That’s normal. But share those feelings with another adult.)

Purchase and pack in the recommended container. There are many choices of footlockers, pop-up soft trunks, duffel bags, and backpacks. This might be your most fun co-shopping experience. Stay within your budget, of course, but let your child choose the color, style, and size of packing container.

Label it all. Together, you’ve gathered everything you need for a great summer at camp. Want to be sure it all comes home? Hit it with a laundry marker or an iron-on name label or a waterproof adhesive label. It’s easy to lose things at camp, but if you want it back, it’s got to have your name on it.

Pack together. I recommend you affix the camp’s packing list-on which you’ve handwritten any other gear you’re packing, to the inside of your son or daughter’s footlocker, trunk, or duffel. (Remember, they’ll be packing on their own on closing day!) Now is the time to provide guidance on what goes where, but let your child make the final choices. A great packing tip my friend Jon taught me: Roll your clothes and stack them like pencils in a can. That way, you can see what you’ve got without moving things around.

Did you remember to pack a laundry bag? Most of this gear is going to get pretty nasty, so it’s good to separate dirty from clean so there’s something fresh to wear on the way home.