Hey, Dancers!

When you’re talking about the art of gracefully moving your body to a rhythm (or lack thereof), it’s very important that the attire you select will allow for the freedom of movement you require to perform your art. From leotards to tights and capris to ballet slippers, there are many items of dance wear to consider, but of all the countless options available, none are so iconic as the tutu.  

Tutus have become an essential part of the ballet scene with a world of different styles and alterations. They have been made of materials such as tarlatan, muslin, silk, gauze, nylon, and a material called tulle—the most commonly used material at one time. Nobody knows quite where this flashy dance skirt got its appropriately flashy name, but it’s theorized to have derived from the word ‘tulle’, the material from which it was made.

In the Paris Opera, 1832, a ballet dancer by the name of Marie Taglioni debuted a gauzy white skirt that cut off at her ankles and, thanks to its bell shape, allowed for the freedom of movement she needed to perform. It was made by French designer of the Romantic Period, Eugene Lami.

There have been a number of different takes on the general tutu design since its first creation. Fashion designers from like Cecil Beaton from England, Christian Lacroix from France, and Isaac Mizrahi from the United States have all designed their own look for the tutu. This garment has undergone a number of revisions that have continued to shorten the length until the arriving at the Classical tutu design which reveals the entire leg.

For those who aspire to be a ballet dancer as well, shop Everything Summer Camp to find a tutu for you…uh—yourself. Check it out by clicking right here and, as always, thanks for reading, Camp Fans!

- John

Hey, Curious Campers!

If you get curious about the history of some of your camping gear as we do, then check out the history of the poncho! We carry a handful of ponchos from an assortment of brand names such as GSI Outdoor, Red Ledge, and Coghlan’s. But how long have these effective pieces of rain gear been in existence and how did they come to be?

These outer garments were developed for protection from wind, sandstorms, rain, and to provide warmth. We’ve traced the history of the poncho back to 500 B.C. along the Andes Mountains. The natives that first wore ponchos were known as Paracas. They lived in South America on lands that are modern day Bolivia and Peru. Over hundreds of years, the poncho slowly made its way north into modern day Mexico and beyond.

Just a simple large sheet of fabric with a hole in its center for your head, ponchos have developed a few more features over the years. By the 1800s, ponchos were made with fasteners so that the sides could close around your body to provide better effectiveness. They also gained hoods for further protection.

And just 50 years after that, ponchos were adopted by the U.S. military. They started making their ponchos out of a latex-coated cloth that was waterproof and they became part of popular attire for soldiers in the Civil War. Not only would they use their ponchos for clothing, but they proved handy as a ground sheet to sleep on as well.

While ponchos nowadays are still strongly associated with the Americas and the natives who first created them, they have made a comeback in modern fashion design as well. The simple sheet shape hasn’t changed, but the material these fashionable ponchos are made from has. They can be knit from wool or yarn or any number of materials.

Rain gear is a must at summer camp when you never know what the weather may be like, so take a look at our Outerwear Department  by clicking here and, as always, thanks for reading!

- John

Hey, Gamers!

Games are always a surefire way to get some fun going between you a friend, a bunch of friends, or even a bunch of strangers—like all the new kids you'll meet at camp. In an attempt to pass the time, have fun, and relax, people have played games as far back as history can show us. Chess came around in the 500s and Backgammon was about 2000 years before that! Even older is a game called Senet that they played in Predynastic Egypt which makes it the oldest game as far as we know.

Games have taken on a number of different forms and even media—from board games to card games to sports games and video games. A number of games have positioned themselves on the fine line between game and sport with activities like Ping Pong and Billiards. Another ambiguous leisure activity is Darts.

Darts aren’t nearly as old as Senet or even Chess, but its history is an interesting one anyway. The game is rumored to have originated in medieval times (in the 1500s) when Henry VIII told his archers that he wanted them keeping their skills sharp year round. To avoid the cold weather, they maintained their aim by throwing their arrows indoors instead of shooting them. The arrows were eventually shortened for indoor use.

Since then, darts seem to have been a common game found in pubs across the European continent, yet, we only need to travel back less than 200 years for what we know to be the official start for the game of Darts. Records have been found as early as 1837 in which an adaptation of Darts was developed called “Puff and Dart”. The game involved a hollow cylinder and much lighter darts that were blown at a target instead of thrown.

Any Dart games prior to “Puff and Dart” are assumed to have had the same style point system as indicated by an archery target. The scoring system of “Puff and Dart” was based on the number of “puffs” a player took to hit a certain number (along the lines of strokes in a golf game). But things changed drastically after “Puff and Dart”.

The “Puff and Dart” game did not have a lasting stay as accidental sucking instead of blowing brought about a number of deaths. But that didn’t mean the end of Darts! People reverted back to throwing heavier darts. And, in 1896, an Englishman named Brian Gamlin designed the modern dartboard with the numbering layout that’s now well known today.

Fans of the game of Darts ourselves, we’re happy to offer this kid-friendly Magnetic Darts and Dartboard Game Set here at Everything Summer Camp. Check it out right here and, as always, thanks for reading!

- John

Hey, Patriots!

Tomorrow is our nation’s Independence Day! Our country is chock-full of national monuments. From the Golden Gate Bridge to the Washington Monument, the Lincoln Memorial and Mount Rushmore, you can look to many different things that carry symbolism for our country. We’ve been ramping up for this holiday at Everything Summer Camp with our patriotic Seasonal Trunks dressed up in red, white, and blue.

And with the Fourth of July now just one day away, I’ve selected four well-recognized symbols of our nation to dissect and explain the reasoning behind them in celebration today.

The American Bald Eagle
In order to express a sense of identification and reputation, nations select their own national tree, flower, bird, etc. The bald eagle is the national bird of the United States. It was chosen to represent the freedom, strength, and independence of American life. At the time, the Bald Eagle was thought to inhabit exclusively the North American continent and—despite Benjamin Franklin’s lobbying for the turkey–the strength and majesty of the Bald Eagle won this bird its place to represent our nation.

The Liberty Bell
When the Declaration of Independence was signed in Philadelphia, 1776, our forefathers were obliged to read the document to the public. In order to gather the colonials in the town center, they rang the Liberty Bell. Still in existence more than 240 years later, The Liberty Bell still exists to this day and can be seen on display at the Liberty Bell Center in Pennsylvania. It was cracked some time in the 1800s (with vague record) but continued to travel the country for town gatherings on the Fourth of July until 1915.

Statue of Liberty
Like a guardian angel, The Statue of Liberty towers over the New York islands as one of our nation’s most recognizable monuments. Lady Liberty was constructed in France as a gift to the U.S. Built of a steel frame and covered in sheets of copper the statue took about a decade to be completed. It was then disassembled and shipped to the New York Harbor where it was then put back together again over the course of several months. Designed after the Roman goddess, Libertas, she continues to be a strong symbol of our country’s freedom.

The American Flag
Featuring 13 red and white stripes and 50 stars to symbolize the 50 states and 13 original colonies, the American Flag is an incredibly iconic image, but it hasn’t always looked the same. Modernly known as the Betsy-Ross Flag or Colonial Flag, the American Flag was changed more than 25 times as stars continued to be added as territories were annexed into states. We finally designed our modern flag in 1960 after Hawaii, our 50th state, was granted its statehood.

The more you know, the more you can appreciate the historic significance behind our nation’s most iconic symbols. You can also look into previous posts about the history of our Independence Day by clicking here and, as always, thanks for reading.

- John

Hey, Camp Fans!

The history of things is interesting. Learning the origin and purpose of our own inventions typically says a great deal about who we are as a collective people. The history of the hairbrush tells us that we’re a crafty people with a universal desire to always be lookin’ good! And we’ve pretty much always been this way.

In fact, archeological digs for ancient artifacts in Egypt have revealed that combs—not to be confused with hairbrushes—have existed in primitive form as early back as 5500 B.C. Our Egyptian ancestors knew that the design of a comb would work best for untangling and straightening hair.

If a comb is like shampoo, then the hairbrush is like conditioner. Hairbrushes aren’t any help when it comes to tangled hair. You need to run a comb through it first. The comb makes your hair manageable. Now it’s ready for brushing—designed to massage your scalp, enhance circulation, and induce your scalp to release its natural oils.

While combs go back over 7000 years and maybe longer, hairbrushes have only been around for 240. A man named William Kent began making them by hand in England, 1777. He crafted them in the same fashion as the original toothbrushes (which you can read about by clicking here). He made his brushes with the hair of boars—which is still what they’re typically made of today.

Hairbrushes were initially only for the upper class that could afford products of such luxury. Of course, nowadays, most households are entitled to the luxury of hairbrushes. Pack one along for your summer camp stay and grab the Folding Brush with Mirror here at Everything Summer Camp. Keep your head feeling clean and looking good!

You can get a closer look at the Folding Hairbrush on our website by clicking here and, as always, thanks for reading!

- John