Hey, Camp Fans!

We received more than 30 entries for our ‘Share Your Camp Story’ Contest here at Everything Summer Camp and now we’re eager to publish each one of them right here on the Blog to share with all our readers! There were seven lucky winners to our contest and everyone else who submitted received a $15 gift certificate to our website! Today’s post is from Ava R., who wrote in to tell us about her second year at Camp Chi.

“I attended Camp Chi; this was my second year. I was very nervous because the first year I was very homesick. As soon as I arrived to camp, I saw the people in my cabin and we started playing games. I learned the names of my friends and my counselors and they seemed really nice. We did everything together. We went horseback riding, zip lining, water skiing and many more fun things. They had a new activity this year and it was tie dying shirts and I really enjoyed this because I like to tie dye and I like the patterns you can make. I also liked ceramics because I like to make stuff and bring it home to show my family. I also loved going into the cove. The cove is like the beach but it has trampolines in the water so you can jump from the trampolines to the water. Lots of times our cabin played games. One time we played volleyball. On the last day of camp I was really sad because I didn’t want to leave because I liked it a lot. I was really sad when I arrived home and I told my parents that I want to go for four weeks next year instead of two! I can’t wait for next summer!!!!”

Glad to hear how much you loved your time at Camp Chi, Ava! It’s great that you didn’t really get homesick either (although don’t be surprised if you should encounter it in years to come). Camp certainly is a great time! Check out Camp Chi to see if it might be a good match for you. And, as always, thanks for reading!

- John

Hey, Camp Aficionados!

It was great to read all the camper submissions we received this year for our ‘Share Your Camp Story’ Contest at Everything summer Camp. We’re happy to share them with our online community and post each submission right here on the Blog! Besides our seven lucky winners of larger prizes, all other entrants received a $15 gift certificate to our online store! Today’s post is from Audrey C., who wrote in to tell us about the best week of her entire life at Sky Ranch Camp. Here’s her submission:

“Starting out the week I was nervous that I was going to miss home but as the week went on and I grew deeper in Christ! I learned so many things about myself, and had the time of my life doing amazing activities and learning things about myself that I would have ever learned about if I wouldn’t have gone to Sky Ranch! On Wednesday night at camp we had worship after the girls night activity and this one lady came out and started singing about Christ. And once she started singing I started to break down crying because I thought about Christ and how he died on the cross for us. Then I asked myself will Christ accept me? After worship one of my counselors came up to me and we started to talk and while we were talking Allie the sky three and four director came up and Allie and my counselor Sarah Lee and I started talking. At the end of our 45 minute conversation Allie told me that I had just accepted Christ into my life! I had given my trust to God and God had given his trust to me! As the week went on Allie and I had more one-on-ones going deeper into Bible study, and I will never forget this week of camp because this was truly the best week of my entire life!”

Audrey clearly loved her time away at Sky Ranch Camp. We’re happy to hear that your nerves calmed down early on enough that you could enjoy your time away. Readers may love it too if it’s a good match for you. Look into Sky Ranch Camp on their website by clicking here and, as always, thanks for reading!

- John

Hey Camp Fans!

We’ve been having a blast sharing all your great responses to our ‘Share Your Camp Story’ Contest right here on the Everything Summer Camp Blog. After our seven lucky winners, everyone else who submitted received a $15 gift certificate to our online store! Today’s post is from Angela D. (or should I say Wisp), who wrote in to tell us about her summer as a staff member at Camp Cahinnio. Here’s her submission:

“I recently worked as a staff member at a Girl Scout camp here in Arkansas. Located in Booneville, Camp Cahinnio is a snug little camp nestled into the woods. This was my first year working as a staff member there and it was an amazing experience. We had a week or so of pre-camp training where all the employees worked together to clean up the camp for campers and learn the essentials to caring for campers needs. Pre-camp also gave us a lot of time to bond before campers came. Each staff member whether a cook or a counselor had their own camp name. My camp name was Wisp. My favorite part of training week was getting to stay in the platform tents that we call Tipi. This area had wooden platforms with an open tent set on each platform. It was the first time I had really slept out in the open like that because I have only ever camped in tents before. The best part was getting to walk a few people that I worked with who had never used a latrine to the latrines. Every time they would make me giggle because of the funny things they would comment about.
         lI was a unit counselor for our BA unit, which stands for Broken Arrow. This unit housed the youngest of the girls that attended camp. The girls were usually aged six to eight years of age and they were cute to work with. Our BA girls stayed in air conditioned cabins, but they were not allowed to let the A/C go down past 70 because that would make them sick.
         lMy largest challenge came the first week we had girls at camp. Some of our girls came to us saying their was a giant spider in their cabin. Another counselor and I walked into their cabin to find this really enormous spider crawling up their wall. I was terrified because I do NOT like spiders. I took the little child sized broom and let the big spider crawl on it and then put it outside. I think it helps me to be brave when there is someone there who needs more comforting than me.
         lOverall, I had a lot of fun. I spent about five or so weeks there and it was a really great experience. Depending on what all is going on in my life next year I might sign up to be a unit counselor again. It was a growing experience and I hope that I helped to better the futures of the young girls I camped with.”

Glad to hear your camp experience as a staff member was such a great time for you—everything except the part about the spider. If any readers out there are interested in joining the Girl Scouts in Camp Cahinnio or becoming a staff member there, check it out sometime. As always, thanks for reading, Camp Folks!

- John

Hey, Camp Fans!

We were delighted to see such a great response to our ‘Share Your Camp Story’ Contest here at Everything Summer Camp and now we’re eager to publish each one right here on the Blog! After our seven lucky winners, everyone else who submitted received a $15 gift certificate to our online store! Today’s post is from Aidan G., whose mother wrote in to tell us about her son’s time away at Camp Laney and her experience with her first-time camper…

“I have been waiting for this summer since I found out I was pregnant for a boy in early 2008. This year, Aidan, was finally ready to attend his first summer at Camp Laney. And boy was I excited and ready for his summer adventure!
        lTwo weeks without being able to talk to or see my boy was tough. I stalked the mailbox for mail, checked the website hourly for news and pictures… anything for a glimpse of how my son’s summer adventure was going. Nothing. Thank God for the camp website loaded with News and Photos because that’s all I knew about how he was doing. He was smiling in every picture and I knew that smile meant he was good and happy and having a great time. I am very thankful for modern technology because the mail never came. He was too busy making memories and having a great time to write to anyone, including his friends.
        lWhen I picked him up from camp after a long two weeks, he ran to me and gave me the biggest hug. Then told me how much fun he had, that he wanted to be a ‘W’ (WCIT), and then a counselor and wanted to go to Camp Laney for the rest of his life. It made my heart so happy to know that he had all of the wonderful adventures and fun that I always dreamt he would have.
        lWhat an awesome first camp experience! I’m so happy that camp lived up to everything that I thought it would. After doing eight loads of laundry, I noticed he didn’t come home with several items of clothing – two pairs of underwear, two pairs of socks, two pairs of shorts, a pair of jeans, a striped bathing suit, and a white LSU #7 jersey. The jersey is the only item that I hope is found. He either left it at camp or put in another camper’s dirty laundry bag or trunk. My only consolation is that maybe it went home with an Alabama fan and it turned them into an LSU fan.
        lUntil next year… let’s just hope he becomes a bit more responsible with keeping his clothes together.”

Sounds like Aidan really enjoyed Camp Laney! As they say, no news is good news. It’s hard enough to be away for so long, but to be away without any contact or news is certainly a taxing trial. But it always means that your camper is simply off having an amazing time. Check out Camp Laney for yourself by clicking here if you’re interested in this camping experience and, as always, thanks for reading!

- John

Hey, Storytellers!

People have told stories since our languages and other means of communication were developed. Everyone wants to hear a well-told story! Stories are built into our genetic makeup. I suppose that’s why we’ve incorporated a full day into our calendar which is dedicated to the art of story telling. Today is National Tell a Story Day.

This time of year, stories tend to tilt toward the side of terror—people become obsessed with the spooky and supernatural; after all, All Hallow’s Eve is just on the other side of the weekend. These scary types of tales are traditional material for kids around the campfire as they hold a flashlight below their chin.

And speaking of telling camp stories, we’re happy to show our appreciation once more this year to everyone who participated in the Everything Summer Camp ‘Share Your Camp Story’ Contest! They may not be very scary, but they do a great job at illustrating the camp experience. It’s great to see our customers having such positive reactions to their summer camp stays.

I’ve been posting the camp stories that were submitted to us ever since September 5th and I’ll continue posting our customer’s submissions until they’ve all been shared stretching far into the month of March. Check back on the Everything Summer Camp Blog frequently to catch the next camper submission. I typically post a ‘Share Your Camp Story’ Contest submission on a weekly basis, except for certain breaks throughout the holiday season.

Stories are an instinctive part of the human species. They are the way our minds make sense of the lives we live. Enjoy the rest of Tell a Story Day and share a good story with some of the folks in your life. They’re bound to appreciate you for it. Happy Tell a Story Day, Everyone!

- John