Hey, Artsy-Fartsy Folks!

If a clever means of three-dimensional, multi-media art is your idea of a good time, you’re likely to find this kind of fun at your next summer camp experience! Arts & Crafts is a definite essential to just about any summer camp. Camps know that kids love to break out the construction paper, popsicle sticks, and glue. What’s especially great about Arts & Crafts in particular is that you can work on something pretty much any time of year right at home!

While timely Arts & Crafts projects can be appropriate any time of year, the current Harvest season offers a great time to craft your own creations to make some spooky Halloween decorations! Along with pumpkin carving, this holiday is begging for you to roll up your sleeves and get creative!     

Check out these great examples of holiday crafts:

Toilet Paper Roll Bats
These guys are really fun to hang up every year! A million Halloweens ago, my mother and I made bats out of toilet paper rolls! I cut black construction paper to glue over the rolls and we put paper circles with faces over one end to make ‘the head’. Then we cut a couple wings to glue on the middle section of the roll. My mother helped me attach invisible string so they could hang from the ceiling and ‘fly around’ when I’d set them in swinging motion! They were always my favorite.

Stapled Spiders
These creeping little buggers were quick projects to work on among my brothers and sisters. We’d set them on kitchen counters and the entertainment center. Simply wadded up paper a little smaller than your fist and sandwiched between two larger circles of paper, the ‘body’ of the spider was then stapled together along the edges of the circles. Then we stapled eight accordion-folded ‘legs’ to the body. Add some eyes and put it in a dark corner where it might surprise an unsuspecting brother or sister!



Cheesecloth Ghosts
Another favorite of mine growing up were these spooky specters. I never did make these myself and they likely require a trip to the store. This Arts & Crafts project is a little more involved; I’d tell you how to make them right here, but it’s probably easier to just watch this short and sweet video!

Hope these ideas aren’t too scary for you and that they create some fond memories of the Halloween season as they have for me! Enjoy spreading the holiday fear and, as always, thanks for reading!



- 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 Violette W., who had her first year at Camp Eagle Hill. Check out her story and why it was a different experience for her!

“I was so nervous about camp this year. This was my first year attending a camp that wasn't just for kids with autism. This year I would be with neurotypical kids who might not understand what autism is. I worried that the campers would think some of my quirkiness was just weird and avoid being around me. When I arrived at camp the counselors were friendly and welcoming. The other kids also seemed nervous. It was a relief to realize that I wasn't the only kid who was feeling anxious and overwhelmed.

We moved our things into the cabin and right away I noticed some kids staring at me. I thought my autism was what was making them stare. I began worrying that I looked weird. Some of the kids came right over. It turned out that they hadn't noticed anything different about me but had been admiring my neon trunk. The kids all loved my custom made hot pink, green and purple trunk that I had ordered from Everything Summer Camp a few months before. The trunk was like a magnet to the other kids and it was my icebreaker for conversations. Usually conversations with kids are hard for me but I found talking about the colorful trunk was an easy way to form friendships.

The weeks flew by and instead of going off by myself and reading (which is what I usually do when socializing gets too overwhelming) I took part in all the activities. I learned to swim and for the first time in my life I played ball games with my friends and teammates. No one cared that I wasn't very athletic. We just enjoyed playing as a team.

I am so thankful that I had such a terrific experience. The campers and staff were so supportive and I'm also so pleased that I was able to form friendships with the other kids. That neon trunk helped give me a way to start to feel comfortable talking and feeling less awkward around my bunkmates. It was like a neon light in a dark tunnel for me. While I always struggle a bit with social skills, the camp experience gave me confidence and I no longer feel so anxious about being in new situations. I am looking forward to beginning a new school year and meeting even more new people.”

It’s awesome to hear what a smooth transition you made from a your previous camp to Camp Eagle Hill, Violette! Sounds like you did a great job socializing with all those neuro-normies this summer! That’s excellent. Obviously, no one knows how things are in someone else’s head, but I can assure you that social anxiety runs rampant among folks who land all over the spectrum! I’m glad you didn’t let it affect your time at camp. And we’re all so happy to hear that your custom-made colorful trunk gave you such an easy conversation piece! Nice work this summer, Violette!

Everyone else can have a great time like Violette did at Camp Eagle Hill and check it out for yourself by clicking here. As always, thanks for reading, Camp Fans!

- John

Hey, Camp Fans!

Having received more than 30 entries for our ‘Share Your Camp Story’ Contest here at Everything Summer Camp, we’re eager to publish each one of them right here on the Blog to share with all our readers! After announcing our lucky winners, we’re now sharing the stories from everyone else who submitted and received their $15 gift certificate to our website!

Today’s post is from Emerson C. who wrote in to tell us about her tasty time at Camp Mystic.

“Crunch! crunch! crunch! It all started at a buffet breakfast one morning at camp... Our cabin was trying to break the record of the most cereal boxes eaten at one sitting, which was 43! Only about 7 girls out of 15 in our cabin were there, so we all got on one table of the dining hall after we got our breakfast. One of my cabin mates sat down with about 5 or 6 lucky charms packets in her hands. After everyone else had finished eating, we all began to watch my cabin mate eat her cereal. After about 8 cereals, we noticed that she was pouring a packet of honey into each one! Then a couple minutes after, she started to go on a sugar rush!!!! A few laps around the dining hall later, I decided to run back to the cabin to grab a piece of paper and a pen so we can find out just how much sugar she was eating!!!! After the cereal craze was over, our cabin had eaten a total of 48 CEREALS!!!!!!!!!!! We gave the title of MVE (Most valuable eater) to the girl that went on a sugar rush!!!!!!! She ended up eating 17 cereals, about 300 grams of sugar, and around 3,000 calories!!!!!!!! Stories like this always gets me super excited to go to camp every year!!!”

Crazy times certainly seem to ensue all over at summer camp! Whether you’re out on an expedition deep in the wooded wilderness or simply in the Dining Hall, camp is full of fun (and funny) times. Nice work to the girls from your cabin on busting the record on bowls of cereal eaten! It’s great to hear that Camp Mystic has turned you into a serial camper (or cereal camper?). Check out Camp Mystic to see if it might be a good match for you. And, as always, thanks for reading!

- John

Hey, Camp Fans!

Your camp stories were great! I had a great time reading through them all and now I’m excited to share them with all our readers online and post each submission right here on the Blog! I’ve finished announcing our ten lucky winners who took larger prizes and moved on now to the rest of your submissions. The following post is from Kate C. who wrote in to tell us about her camp experience. This is her submission:

“This year I spent my favorite two weeks of summer at Camp Thunderbird. It was the first time I’ve been to a two week overnight camp, and I loved it! I made dozens of new friends, tried many new things, and even earned my red bandana. Keep reading and you’ll learn more about my experience.

When I first got into my cabin I was nervous because I didn’t know anybody and the other girls looked like they knew each other and were already close friends. I met one girl, Makayla, who also didn’t know the other girls very well and we became closer that night. By the end of the first day I spent time with the other girls and we became close. We were all sad to go home, but promised to keep in touch.

Camp Thunderbird has many activities on land and on water. Ski tower was definitely one of my favorite activities at camp. Ski tower was a lot of fun because there are so many things you can do. For example you can tube, water ski, wake board, and knee board. All I did was tube, but next year I might try kneeboarding. My other favorite activity was challenge course. Challenge Course has all kinds of things to try including rock walls, a zip line, an alpine tower, and a high ropes course. I tried the rock wall several times but didn’t make it to the top. I did the zip line a lot which was super fun, and also did the high ropes course which was hard but super cool.

Overall the activities were my favorite part of camp. While doing all of these activities everyday I was earning points to get my red bandana. In each activity you can earn cards: red card, blue card, silver card, and gold card. Each card represents earning a certain amount of points. Those points help you get your bandanas. This year I got my red bandana, which is twelve points, but overall I earned a total of 24 points. Next summer I’ll definitely get my blue bandana because I’m only 12 points away!

In conclusion, Camp Thunderbird was one the best experiences I had this summer! All the friends I made were really kind, inclusive, and fun to be around. The activities were so much fun and I always looked forward to trying new things and earning points toward my bandana. I will definitely be going back next summer!”

It certainly is difficult to say goodbye to the friends you make at camp, Kate. Camp Thunderbird sounds like a really wonderful place with wonderful people and some of the best ways to have some fun! Glad you had such a great experience from all your time there and that you do stay ‘close’ with the friends you made! For anybody else interested in Camp Thunderbird, you can give it a closer look by clicking here and, as always, thanks for reading!

- John

Hey, Camp Fans!

Your camp stories were great for the ‘Share Your Camp Story’ Contest here at Everything Summer Camp! 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 Susan M. who wrote in to tell us about her camp experience at Nakanawa. Here’s her submission:

“My name is Susan M. and I am not your average camper at a not-so-average camp. I am 13 and I go to Camp Nakanawa, which is located in Eastern Tennessee. I spend the best four weeks of my year each summer at Nakanawa. Nakanawa is a very important tradition in my family. My mom, aunt, great aunt, and great grandmother all went to Camp Nakanawa. Every year, all the girls in Junior Camp put on an Operetta for the parents on the last day. Some of the most recent productions include, The Wizard of Oz, Aladdin, and The Lion King. This summer’s Operetta was a revue of camp’s prior shows.

My age group was the oldest in Junior Camp so we could audition for a lead role. Prior to leaving for camp, I did not want to audition for a lead because I don't consider myself a singer and couldn’t carry a tune for a million dollars. The thought of singing on stage made my stomach turn. And turn and turn and turn. Enter Ms. Tiny. Ms. Tiny is the thoughtful, kind, “practically-perfect-in-every-way” Glee Club counselor. (Glee Club is an activity focused mostly on singing, acting and preparing for the Operetta.) Ms. Tiny was a camper herself for many years and has been a counselor many, many, many more summers. She is one of the most important and respected counselors in Junior Camp.

Jump to audition day: Since the 2019 Operetta was a revue there were lots of lead roles. When auditions started, I began to think. ‘Ms. Tiny is a great teacher and she said there were 30 main roles. That means I have a chance of becoming a lead!’ As I continued to process this exciting prospect I decided that one thing was certain… I was going to try out!! My audition certainly wasn’t the best, but Ms. Tiny saw something in me. The parts were announced the next day. One by one, the best lead roles were assigned. My hopes started to sink. I had gone out of my comfort zone by auditioning but I still wasn’t sure. ‘Cameron is Belle,’ Ms. Tiny read. ‘Brinkley is Aladdin, Morgan is Cinderella, Mary Meyers is Peter Pan…. and Susan will be Mary Poppins.’ ‘Wait, what!?’ I got a lead role! I was a very nervous but also extremely excited. Mary Poppins was a great lead and I couldn’t believe I would get to be her.

It took a lot more work than I thought to be Mary Poppins. Many days I had to use my free time to practice with Ms. Tiny. Her encouragement, enthusiasm, and excitement made spending my time rehearsing some of my most memorable days at camp. For weeks we worked on projection, our lines, the right costume, and so much more. Most importantly, I had to perfect my British accent!

On the day of the Operetta, I was a churning with emotion. I was nervous I would forget my lines, excited to sing in front of so many people, and ready to show everyone the Mary Poppins I had been perfecting for weeks. The show was a success and I was very proud of my performance. On the final night of camp, awards are given in each of the activities. I was very proud because all my hard work helped me get second place in Glee Club. It was the perfect way to end my best year at Camp Nakanawa yet. I am so grateful that Ms. Tiny gave me the opportunity to play Mary Poppins. I have so many wonderful memories from this summer. Being a camper at camp Nakanawa is nothing short of supercalifragilisticexpialidocious.”

Thank you so much for this great entry, Mary—I mean, Susan! You sound like a fantastic actress and a super speller! The Nakanawa tradition runs deep in your family! How cool that you enjoy keeping the family tradition each summer! How exciting that you really moved outside of your comfort zone this summer! And, what’s more, is that you enjoyed it and made yourself proud! Glad you had such a great time! If anybody else is interested in Camp Nakanawa, you can give it a closer look by clicking here and, as always, thanks for reading!

- John