Hey, Camp Fans!

Today is an interesting day that’s been dedicated to the idea of being deserted or stuck somewhere without the aid of a compass. It’s called Marooned without a Compass Day. Whether you interpret that as a challenge to find your way back from an unfamiliar area or an invite to immerse yourself in the wilderness—‘unplugged’, it’s smart to understand how that small, magnetic, analog GPS works.

Early explorers used them to navigate the open ocean—guys like Ferdinand Magellan, Hernan Cortes, Hernando de Soto, and others. But did you know that the magnetic compass was originally invented for a purpose besides navigation? Check out some things you may not have known about the compass:

In a time before the compass was invented, seafarers used the stars for their navigation on the water. Navigation by the position of the stars was so built into our understanding of the way around the world that even when the compass came onto the navigation scene, people still used it to situate themselves under the stars more so than where they stood on earth.

The compass was, rather surprisingly, not invented for a means of navigation but more for a means of fortune-telling. More than 2000 years ago, this Chinese invention was a device to be read depending on its indicated direction underneath the stars. This was a sort of astrology of the day. 

The compass didn’t make its way to the Americas until the 12^th Century. Why the holdup? Well, use of the compass remained exclusively for the purpose of reading fortunes for about 1300 years until roughly 1100 AD. Once its navigational use was realized, explorers brought them far and wide. It was soon after that European explorers sailed the Atlantic and introduced the compass to civilizations of the Americas.

Celebrate today by spending some time outdoors—maybe go for a hike! Find your way without a compass if you’re up for the challenge (but don’t get lost now!). Or maybe instead, you can simply brainstorm things you would bring along to a deserted island. If you could bring three things from your bedroom with you, what would they be? Let us know in a comment and, as always, thanks for reading!

- John

Hey, Skilled Swimmers!

Moments in the water give us an entirely different view of the world! Unfortunately, opening our eyes underwater tends to cause us discomfort and irritation. That’s because our eyes aren’t designed to be open beneath the water—it’s a bit remarkable that we even CAN see in the water! But just because we can, doesn’t mean we should. It isn’t eye doctor-recommended.

At Everything Summer Camp, we pride ourselves on providing practical function and increased comfort during rigorous activities such as swimming! We offer awesome swimming accessories of all sorts including swimming goggles here on our online shop. But how long have swimming goggles been around?

It may come as a surprise to hear that the history of swim goggles goes back to the 14^th Century. Certainly there weren’t any pairs of Speedo Hydrospex around back then—no. The first swimming goggles were made of tortoise shells that were given windows made of polished layers of the shell. These were crafted and used by pearl divers of the Persian Gulf.

This was the first attempt at swim goggles and they worked rather efficiently, however, they virtually disappeared and it wasn’t until 2000 years later in history that swim goggles resurfaced among underwater divers of the Polynesian Islands. These folks fashioned their goggles out of bamboo.

These wooden goggles had no lenses, but instead, protected the eyes by trapping air bubbles which would form over the eyes. The divers were able to see clearly through the trapped air bubble at their submarine surroundings. Eventually, the Polynesians crafted their swimming goggles with glass lens to eliminate the need to trap air before diving down.

For a long time, swimming goggles remained bulky and uncomfortable apparatus. Some people preferred to go without and deal with the discomfort of water against their eyes. It took almost until 1970 that manufacturers caught on to the idea of creating plastic cups around the eyes that simply attached with elastic around the head. The smaller the better!

Eliminate the discomfort of water on your eyes and get a pair of goggles that fit just right for your waterfront fun! Peruse our swim accessories by clicking here and, as always, thanks for reading, Camp Fans!

- John

Hey, Camp Fans!

All your camp stories were so good; I had lots of 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, one at a time. I’ve announced our ten lucky winners who took larger prizes and now I’m sharing the rest of our entries.

The following post is from Ava C. who wrote in to tell us about her daughter Katherine and her camp experience at Camp Green Cove. Here’s her submission:

“When my daughter Katherine was 11 years old, I casually remarked to her ‘ Sometime before you go away to college, I would like you to go to sleep away camp. We found an advertisement in one of her horse magazines, went online, and watched Camp Green Cove’s online video. Katherine was sold! She said, ‘I want to go here, to this 3 week sleep away session’ And I said, ‘Wait, you mean this summer?’ & she nodded her head yes. Since we didn’t know anyone who had gone to this camp, I asked for references. Through phone calls and emails I spoke with mothers who were sending their daughters because they themselves had gone to Camp GC. Katherine went to Camp GC for 6 summers; at first to the 3 week sessions, then soon onto the 5 week sessions. She has just returned home from her 2nd year as a counselor. She never wants to leave; Camp GC is her ‘happy place’. She has told me many times, that her camp experiences and the dear friends she has made there have been the most formative and important experiences of her life (and she has lived in South America & traveled to China). From a mother’s perspective, it has been so terrific to watch her growth after each summer. She has learned to try activities outside her comfort zone, she has mastered many new skills, and has made lifelong friends. And the frosting on the cake was when she said ‘Thanks so much for sending me to camp, Mom!!’”

Awesome! Sounds like you put in some excellent initial research on Camp Green Cove before sending Katherine off for her first summer camp stay! How cool that that was only the beginning of such a big part of her life! Thank you so much for this great entry, Ava! I love that you’ve enjoyed watching the influence that summer camp has had at work in your daughter’s life! If anybody else is interested in Camp Green Cove, you can give it a closer look by clicking here. And, as always, thanks for reading!

- John

Hey, Camp Fans!

Your camp stories for the Everything Summer Camp ‘Share Your Camp Story’ Contest were all so great! I had such a fun time reading through them all and now I’m excited to be sharing them with all our readers here on the Blog! Since I’ve finished announcing our ten lucky winners who took larger prizes, I’ve moved on to the rest of your submissions and we’re posting each submission one by one!

The following post is from Renee M. who wrote in to tell us about her son’s summer stay at Camp Manitou. Here it is:

“My oldest son, Xander age 8, has special needs and went to Camp Manitou this summer. It was a six-night, seven-day camp. The first time he went away without any family to help him through anything. I was so nervous and his excitement was just not containable. I feared the counselors would not understand him, the other kids would make fun of him, and he would be cast out from being involved. I figured he would last a day and a night. I was so wrong. I waited for phone calls and sent letters. Eventually, I called just to check up on him at day three. He was having an amazing time. The counselors listened to everything I told them about helping him process his emotions and his environment. He swam every chance he could get and bonded with his counselors and made friends. I cried. It was amazing that so many people told me not to send him. That he was not ready and did not think he could handle the environment. He loved it so much he is going back to fall camp this October. My other children will be going when they reach the right ages. Camp Manitou is a part of our family because they made my son a part of theirs. Summer camp changed my son to be a better young man. He got to prove his school teachers and my father and his wife wrong. I am so proud of him and even though he saw the lake and said ‘Mom, look at the ocean. I hope the sharks don't get me.’ He overcame his fear and learned that it was just a lake. I truly believe every child should get to experience summer camp at least once in their life time. He will remember his first time at camp for the rest of his life. Even though I try, I could never give him what summer camp gave him this summer.”

Wow! What a powerful submission, Renee! Thank you so much for sharing your experience and praise of summer camp! It too is something powerful as this summer has shown you! I’m so glad that it had such a positive impact on Xander and that the sharks didn’t get him! How great that Camp Manitou was such a great fit for your son! If anybody else is interested in Camp Manitou, you can give it a closer look by clicking here and, as always, thanks for reading!

- John

Hey, Camp Fans!

I love sharing some good words about the summer camps with whom we’ve formed great relationships here at Everything Summer Camp. Each one of them deserves their own special mention, so we give that to them one by one here on our Blog! We’re fixing our summer camp spotlight easterly today over to the Pennsylvanian foothills where we find a very special place, Camp Lohikan.

Contently occupying a vast 1200 acres in the northeast Pocono Mountains, Camp Lohikan offers the natural beauty of their serene surroundings. Encircled by a landscape of preserved forest and overlooks of picturesque stream, Camp Lohikan features its own private lake and miles of mountainous vistas. At Camp Lohikan in the summers, the days are warm and the nights are cool—the perfect location for a summer camp getaway!

Chock full of fun times, Camp Lohikan offers great camp activities like Archery & Riflery, Baseball, Basketball, Cheerleading, Fencing, Golf, Gymnastics, Horseback Riding, Lacrosse, Martial Arts, Mountain Biking, Paintball, Rock Climbing, Skateboarding, Soccer, Tennis, Track and Field, Volleyball, Wrestling, and so much more! You can also make a splash with activities like Canoeing, Kayaking, Sailing, Scuba Diving, Swimming, and other fun in the water!

Boasting 50 separate facilities that offer a combined 40,000 square feet of awesome indoor activities, Camp Lohikan has facilities dedicated to indoor activities—an art studio, a dance studio, a theater stage, a heated swimming pool, and tons more!

There are almost 40 cabins to accommodate more than 450 boys and girls each summer. Each cabin is equipped with electrical outlets, smoke alarms, screened windows, front porch lighting, and bathroom facilities with private stall showers, toilets, and sinks with hot and cold running water.

If Camp Lohikan sounds like it could be the special place you’re looking for to spend a summer in a new environment, take a closer look at this camp on their website by clicking right here. Enjoy finding the right fitting summer camp for you and, as always, thanks for reading!

- John