Hey, Camp Folks!

As a kid at summer camp, the last thing you want is bed bugs in your bunk or cabin (as a parent, the thought of bed bugs near your child isn’t exactly comforting either). Because many summer camps are located in rustic, remote locations that often lack modern amenities—and because camps harbor kids from vastly different regions of the globe—they are at an especially high risk of bed bug infestations. In this short guide, our summer camp experts here at Everything Summer Camp give you tips and tricks on how to prevent bed bugs from infesting your bed and belongings at summer camp. Read on to learn more, and shop brand-name summer camp products with us today!

Keep Your Space Clean
We realize that this first tip can be a bit tough to do at summer camp. After all, the great outdoors is dirty by nature. Still, it’s important to keep your space clean and uncluttered. Doing so will greatly reduce the number of hiding spots for bed bugs in your cabin or cot. (Parents, you may want to pack a portable vacuum to clean your child’s space before dropping him or her off for the summer.)

Protect Your Belongings
Believe it or not, bed bugs are almost always brought into summer camp by people, not the great outdoors. With this in mind, you should always take great care to keep your belongings separate from other people’s stuff. (You never know who may have a bed bug or several hiding in their bedding or clothing.) Keep your laundry in its own laundry bag and store clothes, blankets, and other personal items in your own camp trunk. Also, consider investing in a specialized bed bug-repelling mattress cover like those from Bed Bug 911.

Wear Insect Repellent
While insect repellent is most effective at repelling outdoor insects such as mosquitoes and ticks, it can also be effective at keeping bed bugs off of your body. Bed bugs spread into spaces by a hitching ride on clothing and luggage — they’ll be less inclined to do so when bug repellent products are applied liberally.

Learn More
Want to learn more about how you can prevent bed bugs in your space at summer camp? We’re here to help you out. Contact our team to speak with one of our summer camp experts directly!

As always, thanks for reading!

- John

Hey, Camp Hikers!

The great outdoors plays a large role in many summer camps. Some camps feature swimming, while others focus on sports or sight-seeing. One of the most common summer camp activities is hiking, which allows campers to see the great outdoors all while learning valuable skills in self-sufficiency on the trail. To help prepare for your hiking-intensive summer camp, it’s important to take necessary precautions to maximize safety while out in nature. In this guide, our summer camp experts here at Everything Summer Camp put together a short checklist of safety tips for hiking at camp. Read on to learn more, and order all of your necessary summer camp supplies from our online store today!

Protect and Hydrate
Hiking is physical activity, which means that you’re putting in some form exertion while doing it. For this reason, it’s important to not over-exert yourself during a hike. It’s also important to carry water with you to stay hydrated at all times. And since hiking takes place in the great outdoors, you’ll want to be sure to wear clothing that offers necessary sun protection without being too bulky. Also, make sure to pack and apply ample amounts of sunscreen and bug spray.

Bring Snacks, Bandages, and Buddies
During long hikes, your body needs both water and food. That’s why it’s important to pack a few healthy snacks alongside your water for refueling when you need it. You’ll also want to pack a first aid kit complete with bandages, medications, and other medical supplies in case of an emergency. For inexperienced hikers, it’s also very important to hike with a buddy at all times. This can help you in the event of an unforeseen accident.

Learn More — Contact Us!
Want to learn more about staying safe while hiking? Our summer camp experts here at Everything Summer Camp will be happy to answer any questions you might have. Contact us directly here to get in touch with a member of our team. And for the industry’s best summer camp gear at the Internet’s lowest price prices, shop right here on our website today!

And, as always, thanks for reading!

- John

Hey, Summer Campers!

So you’re going on your first hiking trip at summer camp and you’re not sure what you should pack and what you should leave behind. This camp hike packing guide should help give you a start in the right direction when filling your backpack for a trek. The first rule of packing for a hike is to make sure that you don’t over pack. Remember that you’ll be carrying your backpack almost the entire time and you don’t want to be weighed down with a bunch of unnecessary items that you probably won’t even use. Leave plenty of room for the necessities and try not to bring too many things that you don’t need.

The Necessities
Begin with a good, solid hiking backpack. You want a pack that is big enough to hold all of your supplies but is still comfortable to wear for several hours throughout the day. Make sure that you test it out before you leave for your hiking trip. You’ll need to have somewhere to sleep, so don’t forget your sleeping bag, tent (if you need it), and maybe a sleeping pad if you have enough room. Bring two bottles of water as well as the food and utensils you’ll need to eat during the trip. Rain gear such as a rain jacket and tarp are necessary in case of unexpected rain. You don’t want to spend your entire trip trying to dry your soaked belongings. You’ll also need a flashlight for getting around at night and sun protection such as sunscreen and sunglasses during the day. Wear proper shoes and consider bringing an extra pair. You should also make sure that the clothes you bring are weather-appropriate. Don’t forget extra socks and underwear! As far as toiletries go, a toothbrush and toothpaste should be plenty. Lots of liquids take up too much room and weigh too much.

Your camp counselors should take care of making sure that they having cooking supplies, such as a stove and fuel, a first aid kit and other group necessities. This means that you shouldn’t have to worry about these things, which is why we’ve left them off of this list.

What to Avoid
Don’t bring any denim and avoid cotton clothes as they are unnecessarily heavy and bulky. You should also leave any other heavy and bulky clothes at home. Finally, avoid bringing pillows or heavy and unnecessary liquids such as shampoo and conditioner.

Have a great time hittin’ those trails and, as always, thanks for reading!

- John

When your little ones are getting ready to go off to summer camp, you want to be prepared.

Although your summer camp may give you a list of things to bring, some don’t provide any help, while others may leave out crucial items. To avoid any sad letters, emails, or text messages home, here are a few tips from Everything Summer Camp for everything you can fit in your summer camp trunk.

Clothing
Besides packing all that everyday clothing like clean shirts, pants, socks, and shoes and sneakers, you’ll want to include a few extras to deal with the rigors of being outdoors. A good hat will offer protection from sun and rain. Durable raingear is also a camp essential. Don’t forget pajamas and bathing suits.

Outdoors
At times, the great outdoors can seem not so great, particularly when it’s filled with swarms of mosquitoes or broiling-hot sun. Protect your little ones by supplying insect spray and sun screen. A good, dependable flashlight is also a must. Don’t forget spare batteries.

Toiletries
Make sure to pack all the soap, dental supplies, and other hygiene necessities that your kids will need to get through the long, hot summer. The right stuff will go a long way to helping them fit in with their peers.

Storage & Packs
A daypack or heavier-duty backpack is a must for just about every summer camp. Even if your child won’t be going on hikes, horseback rides, or other adventures, a good daypack will be handy for carrying personal items around camp and keeping them organized. In addition, because storage space is so often limited at summer camps, it’s smart to pack a space-saving collapsible storage cube.

Entertainment
Books and other entertainment items are a smart idea to include for your child to savor during down time. If the camp allows them and there is a cell tower nearby, digital gadgets can be a child’s best friend. Of course, you may be sending your kids to camp partly to separate them from their electronic chains, so the digital gizmo course is optional.

Still have questions about what you should pack? Call us toll-free, email us, or instant-chat with us. Our Gear Counselors will give you helpful advice that can make this summer a memorably pleasant one.

Behold the question every parent ponders before and after the camp season. The good news is that hiring protocols and staff training programs at most high quality camps prevent anyone with ulterior or unsavory motives from ever becoming a part of the camp family. Whew!

The bad news is that every summer, a tiny fraction of the millions of boys and girls who attend camps in the US and Canada are either mistreated by a camp staff member during the season or drawn into an inappropriate relationship sometime after. I believe that even a tiny fraction is unacceptable, so I want to share the keys to protecting your child.

Readers familiar with my work know what a tremendous advocate I am for youth camping. Having worked for decades with dozens of venerable professional camp organizations, I understand what a positive and powerful developmental growth experience camp is for young people. I am also a tremendous advocate of child safety. As a clinical psychologist and waterfront director with two children of my own, I’m probably one of the most safety-conscious people you’ll meet. Indeed, every summer, I bet my staff $1000 that they’ll never catch me in any of our 64 camp boats without a life jacket. I’ve yet to lose that bet.

I also teach my own children about safe and unsafe touch so they understand the difference and could stop and report an inappropriate advance. Even if it happened at camp. Beyond my own family, I have created a library of video training modules, hosted on a website called ExpertOnlineTraining.com. The site provides training to tens of thousands of summer camp staff worldwide, and includes titles such as Safe Touch & Safe Talk, Duty of Care, Active Lifeguarding, and Wise Use of Time Off. Naturally, I recommend that you ask your child’s camp director whether he or she subscribes to ExpertOnlineTraining.com or other reputable online training. Pre-season online training has become an essential supplement to the on-site training camp counselors receive. Given the choice between highly trained and less highly trained staff, the choice for parents is obvious.

Of course, camp and safety go hand-in-hand. Campers do engage in risky activities at camp, such as swimming, rock climbing, and horseback riding, but wise camp directors ensure that every reasonable precaution is in place to minimize the occurrence of accidents. Those precautions are part of what make risky activities fun, not frightening. Those precautions are also what make parents trust high-quality camps. Naturally, smart parents understand that no camp is accident-free, but when they can see the safety equipment in place, they are reassured. If you were to walk around camp, you should see the lifeguards on duty, see the safety harnesses on the climbers, and see the helmets on the riders.

Sadly, nobody could ever see the potential for inappropriate behavior between a camp staff member and a child. But that invisibility should not stop you from protecting your child from predators by asking the right questions and looking for the warning signs of an unhealthy relationship.

As I outline in my book, The Summer Camp Handbook, you should begin by teaching your child how to protect him- or herself from unsafe touch. Norman Friedman’s book Inoculating Your Child Against Sexual Abuse provides detailed guidance as well. Next, conduct the search for your child’s camp carefully. This careful search has many components but the three that most parents neglect are:

1) Finding out whether the camp is accredited and by whom.
2) Discussing the director’s education and experience.
3) Asking about the camp’s hiring protocols and staff training program.

In these three neglected domains, here’s what you should verify:

1) The camp you send your child to should be accredited. In the US, this means accredited by the American Camp Association. In Canada, this means accredited by the province in which the camp operates. There are some high-quality non-accredited camps, but you’ll need to personally verify hundreds of health, safety and personnel standards before resting assured you’ve chosen wisely. Use the ACA’s new Accreditation Standards for Camp Programs and Services as your guide.

2) Your camp’s director should have years of youth development experience under his or her belt and should participate in continuing professional education-such as camp conferences-each year. Find out what their professional credentials are, what conferences or seminars they last attended, and what other camp experience they have.

3) The camp should freely share with you its protocols for conducting required background checks. These could include criminal background checks, but that will only uncover whether a person has been convicted of a felony in the state or province in which the check is conducted. More meaningful is the process of religiously checking a staff member’s references. Finding people who have known the prospective hire well and who have witnessed their work with children is better than verifying whether or not they are not a convicted felon. The camp should also freely share with you its staff training program, including participation in ExpertOnlineTraining.com. Whatever training program a director uses should include modules on appropriate touch, discipline, and communication with children.

Lest your love and concern for your child evolve into protective paranoia, let me emphasize that the personal relationships that form between your child and the camp staff are typically wonderful. They are what kids remember most about camp and what they crave during the off-season. These relationships are also the necessary foundation for growth. Without those caring relationships, there can be no increased self-esteem or independence, no growth in social-skills or confidence. The key to a positive experience at camp is a healthy, nurturing relationship between children and their caregivers at camp. For this reason, it is my sincere hope that the principles outlined above will help you and your son or daughter find a camp where those healthy relationships flourish.

Dr. Christopher Thurber

For additional parent resources, visit: SummerCampHandbook.com