Hey, Camp Folks!

Summer’s on its way! And as the season approaches, the question must soon be answered—what camp will you be attending? Take a look at the summer camps we’ve previously featured on the Everything Summer Camp Blog and enjoy reading about another one today!

We’re shining our summer camp spotlight over to the Lone Star State of Texas where Camp Huawni has sat on more than 100 acres ever since 1965. That’s when Earl Adams came along to the piney woods of eastern Texas where he achieves his lifelong dream of starting a summer camp! An educator all his life, Earl wanted to provide children with another experience beyond school—one in which the kids didn’t feel so tied down and felt free to explore their personalities!

Earl—or ‘Daddy Earl’ as he’s called around the campgrounds—proceeded to cut down logs, build cabins, and dig an enormous hole for a swimming pool. And when he was done he named the site Camp Huawni, named after the small Cherokee Tribe that previously inhabited the land.

His hard work provides kids with a plethora of fun including Swimming in the pool or enjoying the thrill of the waterslide and zip line that drops you in the waters of Critter Pond. You can also enjoy such fun as Archery, Arts & Crafts, Basketball Point Challenge, Capture-the-Flag, Dodgeball, Frisbee Golf, Hiking, Sand Volleyball, Soccer, Wiffleball, and more!

Living in a cabin with about ten other campers promotes face-to-face communication, collaboration, and creativity. The charm of summer sounds from the crickets and frogs sing Huawni campers to sleep each night with a breathtaking view of the night sky right outside your bunk window. With way less light pollution than the city, the stars shine like you may have never seen before at Camp Huawni.

Take some time to look into Camp Huawni for yourself if it sounds like it could be a good fit for your camper and, as always, thanks for reading!

- John

Don’t scream…

But we just brought on a whole slew of new products from iScream. More than doubling our collection of this fantastic brand name, we now carry even more awesome novelty Pillows, sweet Slippers, cool Cosmetic Bags, Journals that jump right out at you, and more! 

iScream Sleeping Bag

You’re sure to sleep like a baby in the plush exterior and faux sherpa-lined interior of these colorful patterned Sleeping Bags. Decorated in a cool print, these Sleeping Bags are the perfect addition to any campers bunk! Check it out in Rainbow Camo as well as the Gamer options available on the Everything Summer Camp shop!

iScream Sloth Sleeping Bag

Hang out in this hairy Sleeping Bag when you want to sleep like a sloth! This beast of a bag covers your entire body in its warm, faux fur Sleeping Bag! Designed with maximum cuteness for camp, stay warm in your bunk with this hilarious, hooded Sloth Furry Sleeping!

iScream Unicorn Sleeping Bag

Make some magical Zzz's in no time tucked inside this Sleeping Bag that looks like the beloved, mythical beast—'The Unicorn'! Cover yourself from horn to toe in this great big, faux fur Sleeping! Designed with a cute face and warm body, this hilarious, hooded Unicorn Furry Sleeping Bag is bound to be a hit among your bunk mates at camp!

Pay a visit to our entire collection from iScream by clicking right here and some of the cutest camp accessories you’ll want to have along! Enjoy getting ready for your summer fun and, as always, thanks for reading!

- John

Hey, Camp Fans!

Our 2018 ‘Share Your Camp Story’ Contest produced great results this year in which we ask campers and parents alike to write in about how the camp experience went. Ask and we sure received! We got such a great turnout that we’re still sharing them this far into 2019! Here is another installment to our contest collection!

Today’s submission comes from Aaron G. who sent in a retrospective look from adulthood at his time at summer camp! Check it out:

"I went to camp as a shy 6-year-old for one week. I cried the entire time because I was not ready for camp. So why is this a good story you may ask? Well... the staff from counselor to director comforted me through the entire episode. Anyone of these people could have given up and sent me home, ignored me, or become upset with me. Instead, each person that I encountered helped me differently. One person may have hugged me and said it was ok; the other may have given me a pat on the back and said, ‘Aaron you got this.’ Or still yet a firm ‘Aaron, you are going to be okay, let's do…(X). Each of these people helped to lift me up when I was feeling down. I did not realize the support I had received at the moment because I was a 6-year-old only child with poor social skills—now I am a 31 year old with better-ish social skills. I did return the next year and I was a different kid. It was not til too many years later that I realized how they treated me and how it made me feel even after many years. This feeling of love, connection, and support are what I have decided to live my life by. I want to help support campers that may be like me to have the positive experience I had. I have been involved in camping ever since. (Minus one year where I wanted to make real money—the worst summer of my life.) This love for camp and desire to keep the tradition alive is what caused me to pursue a full-time career in camp so I can support that mission all year round for many children to come.”

Excellent, Aaron! Summer camp folks really do such an awesome job, don’t they?! It’s very refreshing to hear that summer camp has influenced your choices as you begin this juncture of your life. It’s an understatement to say that it’s easy to let money drive you, but true it’s wise of you to not let money be your chief motivator. Enjoy surrounding yourself with true wealth each summer, Aaron and thanks for sharing your piece about your relationship with summer camp!

The camp that Aaron attended was Camp Fair Haven. To anyone else interested in this camp for your own camping experience, be sure to check them out sometime and, as always thanks for reading!

- John

Hey, Camp Fans!

With absolute delight, we’re sharing the submissions we received for our 2018 ‘Share Your Camp Story’ Contest in which we asked campers and parents alike to write in about how their camp experience turned out. We got such a great turnout that we’re still sharing them this far into 2019! Here is another installment to our contest collection!

Today’s submission comes from Emily Susan B. who spent her summer at Camp Merrie Woode! Check it out:

“Gaining Confidence

I have been going to Merrie Woode for the past eight years and I love it so much. They have one of the best Boating programs I’ve ever seen. But it takes a lot of confidence to be able to do some of the skills and I have normally been scared to do a lot of them. With the counselors’ help I learned how to do a roll in a kayak. One of the most fun things I got to do was when the little girls got to sit on my bait and try to flip me over! They were laughing and trying to flip me and I wasn’t Scared because I had confidence in the skills I have learned. Summer camp has given me great confidence to do things that I would never do at home. For example, the boating but also in many other areas like nature and archery. I am so glad I have gotten the great opportunity to go to camp.”

Awesome, Emily! One thing that you can be sure camp will do for you is give you an experience which results in a definite confidence booster! It’s great to hear you express your appreciation for this great personal development. Camp certainly helps you discover your confidence, but you’re the one that allows it to blossom! Well done, Emily. To anybody else interested in Camp Merrie Woode for their future camp stay, check them out sometime and, as always, thanks for reading!

- John

Hello, People of Earth!

Today we celebrate the annual event known as Earth Day! A day designated for being more conscientious about our effect on the environment. You can do your part today by picking up litter around your neighborhood, walking or riding a bike instead of driving, and using less energy around the house.

Even if your cleanup is as simple as picking up any litter that’s blown into your yard, it’s doing your part. And if everyone did the same, that would be amazing! Can you imagine the impact it would make if everyone took care of the trash in their yards and the streets outside their houses?

As we find ourselves in the full swing of Spring, it’s therapeutic for folks to want to tidy up the space around them—inside AND out! Spring Cleaning is a great feeling whether your feather dusting the furniture or eliminating the gathering of trash left behind by melted snowbanks.  

Freewheeling trash will take a long time to break down, decompose, and return to the earth so it’s really good not to engage in an inconsiderate act such as littering. And it’s even better to take the initiative to pick litter up yourself. Depending on what the trash is, it can be dangerous to the wildlife that live around you such as birds and squirrels. Not to mention, it’s simply an eyesore—why create an ugly environment for ourselves as opposed to the unwavering beauty of the Earth throughout the natural cycles?

Celebrated the world over for nearly the last 50 years, one U.S. Senator from Wisconsin (Everything Summer Camp’s home state!) named Gaylord Nelson founded Earth Day. He felt compelled to create a day to focus on the environment after a devastating oil spill in Santa Barbara, California.

As people, we make mistakes. Sometimes our mistakes can have negative effects on the world we live in. But we can always fix our mistakes. Happy Earth Day, Everybody. And, as always, thanks for reading!

- John