Hey, Camp Fans!

We’re celebrating our best year yet for the ‘Share Your Camp Story’ Contest at Everything Summer Camp. Your camp stories were great! It was such fun reading through them all. Now I’m eager to share them with our online community and post each submission right here on the Blog!

I’ve finished announcing our ten lucky winners who took larger prizes and now I’m sharing the rest of your submissions. The following post is from Mary H.C. who wrote in to tell us about her camp experience. Here’s her submission:

My Time at Camp DeSoto

Have you ever been to camp before? Well, I just went to Camp DeSoto for a month. Can you believe it was a month? I was shocked I even survived a month at camp with no friends or family.

I’d like to share my story about it with you. At Camp DeSoto we got to do super cool and fun activities I don’t get to do at home like archery, canoeing, rock climbing and much more. But I guess that’s what any old camp would do, so I’m going to tell you why Camp DeSoto is very special. At camp we get to do fun night activities like Christmas in July and Olympics. Some activities are horseback riding, huckleberry, swimming, and canoeing.

One of the best two days at camp were Palooza day and Christmas. During Palooza day the whole day was backwards and in the morning we got dinner which was pizza and soda. We also did all our activities backwards. At Christmas in July, we got to decorate the whole gym and put Christmas decorations everywhere. We also had a secret Santa and made gifts for them. It was a blast to see everyone so happy.

The most memorable thing about camp was the memories that I made with my friends and that I got to experience the same camp tradition my mom did. I hope I can go back to camp next year!

Thank you so much for this great entry, Mary! Palooza Day sounds like it was !GNIZAMA and—you’re right—Christmas in July makes Camp DeSoto sound like a pretty special place! Glad you had such a great time! If anybody else is interested in Camp DeSoto, you can give it a closer look by clicking here and, as always, thanks for reading!

 

- John

Hey, Camp Aficionados!

We had our best year yet with our camper response to our annual ‘Share Your Camp Story’ Contest at Everything summer Camp. And, as usual, your camp stories were fantastic! I’m eager to share them with our online community and post each submission right here on the Blog!

Now that I’ve finished announcing our ten lucky winners who took larger prizes, I’m sharing the rest of your submissions. All entrants win a $15 gift certificate to our online store simply for participating. The following post is from Ann B. who wrote in to tell us about her daughter’s first camp experience. Here’s her submission:

Arrival Day

It was the crunch of the grass, the soothing sounds of the lake and the wonderful feeling that she had finally arrived when she placed her trunk in the tent that made my daughter Julia A.’s summer. Camp was everything she had imagined it to be and then even more. Julia‘s excitement started months earlier the moment she got to pick which session at Hive she wanted to attend, which trunk she needed, and what she wanted to put in that little blue slice of home she would take there. Julia made many new friends, rode the zipline, and ate s’mores by the camp fire. She wrote me letters of exciting adventures, hikes, crafts, and even about a sailboat that had capsized in a storm (very exciting!). Her tent family bonded in their headlamps over with late night card games played on a trunk and on overnight trips where she got to canoe for the 1^st time. I received letters from her counselor about how she was growing and learning to articulate her feelings but it was the letters and postcards Julia wrote to her brother at home that made me realize how much she really loved it there. When Julia came home, she was a little taller, wiser, independent and more sure of herself. It might have been her first year at summer camp in Vermont but it certainly won’t be her last!

Thank you so much for this great entry, Ann! It’s great to hear that the Hive experience was such a positive one for Julia’s first year at sleepaway camp! Hive Camp sounds like a pretty special place and if anyone else would like to check it out closer by clicking here. And as always, thanks for reading!

 

- John

My name is Carol H. My grandson, Sam P., spent the month of July at Camp Seneca Lake. Sam is 9 years old and this was his first summer at sleepaway camp. Sam was concerned that camp would be boring. It was anything but boring!

Besides the regularly scheduled activities and hobbies, there were dozens of special activities. These included All Camp Programs, Village Nights, Bunk Nights, and Friday and Saturday Shabbat services and programs. All this gave him the opportunity to meet boys and girls of all ages. At home Sam has a little sister Abby, but at camp Sam had a "big brother" named Noah. They really bonded and Sam misses him.

Sam said the food was delicious! I'm sure he tried some new dishes. He seemed so responsible when he came home. He picks out his own clothes every morning and doesn't need to be reminded several times to do what he needs to do.

I went to camp two generations ago and my children went one generation ago. Those camps were heavily scheduled with little time to just play outside in the village with friends. I was so happy that Sam had time to hang out and there were no electronics involved.

Thank you so much for this heartfelt entry, Carol! What a joy to hear that summer camp has been such a positive rite of passage for Sam as well as your children and yourself as well! Seneca Lake sounds like a pretty special place and if anyone else would like to check it out closer by clicking here. And as always, thanks for reading!

 

- John

 

- John

Hey, Camp Fans!

Time for Everything Summer Camp’s annual ‘Share Your Camp Story’ Contest has rolled around once again! We’re excited to give away our prizes and announce our lucky winners as well as posting their stories right here on the Blog. Today, I’m announcing our second $100 gift certificate winner!

And our second $100 winner is….Lauren S.!

Congratulations, Lauren! You just won $100 for our one-stop camping gear shop for your future equipment purchases! Thanks for sharing your summer experience in sending your daughter to Camp Harlam. You can read Lauren’s submission right here:

This was my daughter's first summer at Camp Harlam and she absolutely loved every minute. As a parent, I loved looking for her face (...or arm or leg!) in the photos posted by camp each night - and seeing the glowing smiles on her face reaffirmed the decision to send her to Camp Harlam. She loved the independence and opportunity to get to know so many others who share similar values. She also loved all of the adventure opportunities - zip-lining being her absolute favorite!

Before sending her to camp, we purchased several items from Everything Summer Camp that made her time at camp even better - including the egg crate mattress pad (made her bed extra cozy and soft), storage clipboard (perfect to hold her letter writing supplies and stamps - and also a great hard surface for letter writing), Crazy Creek chair (great back support and awesome colors), and more!

Sounds like your daughter had a very fun time for her summer stay at Camp Harlam. We’re overjoyed to hear that so many of our great Everything Summer Camp products have helped your daughter get the most out of her time at camp! To anybody else interested in Camp Harlam, you can check it out by clicking right here. Be sure to tune in tomorrow to find out who our grand prize winner is! And, as always, thanks for reading!


- John