Hey, Camp Fans!

Like all other junctures in life, summer camp stays are not immune to unfortunate illnesses or mild wounds. That’s why summer camps are sure to have a nurse on hand throughout their summer sessions. Well-versed with tummy aches, bee stings, and all other inopportune ailments that may befall you, camp nurses are the nicest people on the planet.

Always sure to treat their patients with the utmost care and empathy no matter what’s wrong with them, camp nurses—and nurses in general—deserve a dedicatory day. Which is why they have one—TODAY! May 6th is National Nurse Day. A great day to show your appreciation toward the many nurses of the world, this day actually stretches outward a week and ends on May 12th, the birthday of Florence Nightingale.

Even if you don’t know who Florence Nightingale is, you’ve likely heard of her before (and who could forget a name like that?). Ms. Nightingale was born back in 1820. Considered the founder of modern nursing, Florence became recognized while tending to the injured soldiers of the Crimean War between France and Russia in the 1850s.

With increasing popularity, soldiers started referencing Florence as ‘The Lady with the Lamp’ since she would regularly make her rounds at night. And now her birthday is honored every year as National Nurse Week comes to a close.

When you head off to summer camp, be sure to thank your camp nurse for her assurance of your well-being and her ever-kind manner. On behalf of Everything Summer Camp, we’d like to send out a giant thank you to camp nurses, school nurses, clinical nurses, emergency room nurses, and all other kinds. You truly help people on a daily basis!

Be sure to show your appreciation for the nurses in your life today and, as always, thanks for reading.

- John

Hey, Scout Fans!

Today is National Girl Scouts Day! This organization’s popularity has skyrocketed since its small beginnings a little over a century ago and has become an essential part of summer to many little girls all across the country. To learn more about the past of this famous institution, click here to check out a previous post.

Here are some interesting tidbits about the Scouts:

Cookie Inconsistency

The classic bakery treats for which the Girl Scouts are notorious don’t actually remain consistent throughout the United States. In fact, the cookies you order can differ greatly from one place to another. Denver and Seattle Thin Mints are given a generous coating of chocolate, whereas, if you order Thin Mints in Boston or Kansas City, you get a crunchier and heavier mint flavor. Samoas cookies are different throughout the country, called by the name of Caramel deLites in other places.

What to Wear?

Most folks would probably figure that the sash full of badges is and always has been the official Girl Scouts uniform. The original Girl Scouts, however, never wore sashes. And unlike the Scout image that we’re all familiar with today, they used to wear wide-brimmed hats as their counterparts in Britain wore. It wasn’t until the 30’s that the iconic berets and Brownie beanies became a thing. A couple other changes have been implemented along the way as well.

Somethin’ Fun!

It’s more than just overnight hikes and s’mores at a campfire! The Girl Scouts provide their members with awesome activities ranging from arts and theater to horseback riding as well as technology. For Scouts who are looking for an experience that’s more physically intense, they offer rock-climbing, forest tree-climbing, and high-adventure courses!

From all of us here at Everything Summer Camp, we send a proud salute to all of you Scouts out there—current and former—today on National Girl Scouts Day! Keep leading by the best of examples and, as always, thanks for reading! 

- John

Hey, Scout Fans!

Today is National Boy Scouts Day! This organization has become one of America’s largest and most well-known organizations to focus on the development of our youth. We’ve looked into the Boy Scouts’ history and learned how this organization came to be a household name in America! To learn more about the past of this famous institution, click here to check out a previous post.

Here are some interesting tidbits about the Scouts:

Norman’s Honor

For any of you youngsters who don’t know who this classic American artist is, Norman Rockwell is responsible for capturing so many slice of life moments of vintage America. A former Boy Scout himself, Norman offered his services for free to illustrate the annual Brown and Bigelow Boy Scout calendar, which he did each year from 1925 to 1976 (aside from missing a couple years).

Scout Money

In the second decade of the 20^th Century, the Boy Scouts of America became the largest uniformed body across the nation. One thing that helped their rapid expansion is that they worked in partnership with the Treasury Department throughout World War I and, together, they secured approximately $352,122,973 in Liberty Bond subscriptions!

Joseph Lane’s Publication

In 1911, a former Boy Scout named Joseph Lane turned 18—the same year he published his very own Boys’ Life Magazine! One year later, the Boy Scouts ended up buying the magazine from Joseph for $6,100, the equivalent of a dollar per subscription that he had. Now Boys’ Life Magazine is distributed to roughly 1.1 million Scouts every month!

From all of us here at Everything Summer Camp, we send a proud salute to all of you Scouts out there—current and former—today on National Boy Scouts Day! Keep leading by the best of examples and, as always, thanks for reading!

- John

Happy Groundhog Day!

February has many of us dreaming of warmer weather and the joys of summer camp. As you may already know, Groundhog Day on February 2nd is the day on which we discover whether we’ll see an early spring or get six more weeks of winter. It hasn’t proven to be the most accurate method, but we like to go based off of whether or not a small, little critter called a groundhog spots his shadow upon leaving his den early in February. However, we can’t just get the word from any ol’ groundhog. Such a prognostication must come from no common groundhog, but from none other than Punxsutawney Phil.

This annual rodent Punxsutawney Phil delivers his annual prediction in his own language, ‘groundhogese’. And his word is translated by the president of the Punxsutawney Groundhog Club who reveals the answer to the Vice-President and then the entire gathering of Phil’s adoring fans. So, what else do we know about this special groundhog?

Nice Duds, Classy Hats

Some fifty-some years ago, it went into effect for members of the Groundhog Club Director’s Board (the Inner Circle) that they must wear a top hat and tuxedo uniform during the annual picnic at Gobbler’s Knob. The reasoning: A figure of such importance as Punxsutawney Phil must always be greeted with a tone of respect and formality.

Not your Ordinary Groundhog

A celebrity like Punxsutawney Phil makes just one public appearance a year at the Gobbler’s Knob picnic. Where is he for the rest of the year? He lives with his wife, Phyllis, and two other friends of theirs in a heated area of the Punxsutawney Memorial Library.

Hog Nog

It is said that Punxsutawney Phil has been giving us his forecast for 133 years now. How does one, little groundhog exceed the life expectancy of a super healthy person? Well, according to legend, Punxsutawney Phil takes a swig of ‘groundhog nog’ at the Gobbler’s Knob picnic which is a magic elixir of life that extends his life another seven years with each sip.

You can learn even more about the celebration of Groundhog Day on a previous post from a few years ago which traces back the origin of the Groundhog Day celebration. Check that post out by clicking right here and, as always, thanks for reading!

- John

Hey, Boxers!

One thing that always rings true when you see it in these post-Christmas days reminds us all of our wild imaginations and playful mindset in our earliest of years. The Christmas holiday brings gifts and with the gifts come boxes. And no matter the size of our imaginations, the bigger the box, the better. It’s a familiar sight to any adult—children every year, despite all the new gifts they recently unwrapped, can never resist the temptation of crawling into those walls of corrugation and using the box itself as their newest favorite toy.

Today is the day after Christmas which we call Boxing Day. Recognized in many commonwealth nations like Canada, England, South Africa, and others, Boxing Day in today’s world is essentially an extended Christmas Day—a day to check out the presents that you unwrapped yesterday.

There’s not actually much to it. It’s kind of a day for being lazy, keeping cozy, and wondering, “What now?” Though it seems right up our alley, the U.S. does not celebrate this holiday—but you can go ahead and stick to traditions anyway if you don’t have anything else to do!

Take today to watch some movies, play a board game with your family, or curl up comfortably and escape into a good book! It’s good to be mindful of it and enjoy staying in on these winter days before the time comes when we need to return to that normal daily grind!  

I’ve always felt that the day after Christmas Day delivers a giant letdown on a scale immeasurable. It feels so empty compared to the bursting anticipation we feel on Christmas Eve. So, in my opinion, that feeling is the epitome of Boxing Day. It’s a day to really relish in our regret of a celebration past. Only, rather than wishing to return to those fun celebrations, let’s just think of the fun memories and look forward to the time this season rolls around again!

Till next time, Readers! Happy Boxing Day and, as always thanks for reading!

- John