Hey, Flag Aficionados!

Today is National Flag Day—a day to put out your flag and appreciate the banner that symbolizes your country. Flags are national symbols. Every country has a flag. Yet, the first flags were flown before the world’s countries ever existed! Let’s take a look into the history of flags to better understand how we got our own U.S. Flag.

Initially used for easy identification in warfare, the people of the High and Late Middle Ages would paint their shields with patterns to show whether they were a friend or foe. It became common, then, for knights, infantry commanders, and other leaders to fly a heraldic flag on their saddle in order to grab even more eyes with even more ease.

It didn’t take long before the practice became commonplace for troops to carry their own flag out to the battlefield simply to distinguish their unit.In the early 17th century, when sailing reached an all-time peak in popularity, it became the law that ships had to carry flags in order to designate their nationality.And these are the flags evolved and transformed into the national flags and maritime flags of today.

And once flags had shown their purpose at sea, they made themselves useful as a means of simple communication from across the water as well by means of interactive systems.

The earliest national flag belongs to Denmark. It is referred to as the Dannebrog and, adopted in 1219, it is the oldest national flag of any country. However, by the end of the 1700s, it was one among an incredible number. And that number didn’t stop growing until every sovereign state had a national flag.

The American Flag features 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. Our original Flag (modernly known as the Betsy-Ross Flag or Colonial Flag) has been 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 50^th state, was granted its statehood.

Show your appreciation for our flag today and, as always, thanks for reading, Summer Camp Fans!

- John

Hey, Camp Fans!

We work with so many great people here at Everything Summer Camp, which is why we like to use this Blog as a platform every now and again to express our gratitude toward the awesome companies with whom we’ve formed excellent relationships! Today, we’re swinging our Vendor Spotlight over to shine on the stylish Real Kids Shades.

Slip on a pair of Real Kids Shades Glide when the summer sun is shining bright! Around since 2002, Real Kids Shades has quickly developed and strengthened their reputation with their durable and protective products. These sunglasses, available in both, boys’ and girls’ styles, keep your eyes safe behind 100% UV lenses.Starting out with a simple mission, Real Kids Shades promised affordable, high-quality, 100% UV protective sunglasses designed for kids. And in their 16 years of business, they’ve grown to offer multiple sizes to provide a proper fit and protect kids from infancy to 12 years old.

All their shades are manufactured from top-of-the-line, durable materials so they’re sure to provide a long-lasting product—after all, kids and the summer camp lifestyle have a tendency to be a little rough on camp gear and other supplies.

We’re delighted to offer Real Kids Shades’ products on our one-stop camping gear shop. We offer the Girl’s Breeze Sunglasses, available in an assortment of cool colors to complement your clothing. And we also offer Boy’s Bolt Sunglasses with two-tone coloring for a super-cool look!

Enjoy those brilliant days at camp with a pair of Real Kids Shades, found on the Everything Summer Camp main site! You can get a closer look at the girls shades by clicking here and check out the cool-looking shades for boys by clicking here. Make sure you’ve got your sunglasses for those bright, sun-shiny camp days and, as always, thanks for reading!

- John

Hey, Brushers!

Just like you, we want to see campers wearing their best smiles. Whether you’re home or away at camp, dental hygiene is incredibly important and linked to heart-health! But the more removed you are from the frills of modern living (indoor plumbing, for instance), the harder it can be to remember to brush! That’s why we enjoy providing novel hygienic products here at Everything Summer Camp such as the VioLife Slim Sonic Battery-Operated Brush.

But if you’re looking for an even more temporary solution to your on-the-go brushing concerns, check out our new ReadyBrush Disposable Toothbrushes! 30 Toothbrushes come in each Pack and these Toothbrushes have already had toothpaste applied to the bristles. Nothing more for your camper to do but wet the head and brush those chompers!

Alongside the standard 30-Pack, you can also get the Ortho 30-Pack ReadyBrush Disposable Toothbrushes—an alternative for kids with braces. These Toothbrushes are not only pre-pasted, but its bristles also have a V-cut to make for more effective brushing.

Kids are bound to keep up with their dental hygiene when you send them off with these Packs of  Pre-Pasted Disposable Toothbrushes. They make dental hygiene that much more convenient and help kids to remember to brush their teeth that much more! And they couldn’t be simpler to use; simply throw these Disposable Toothbrushes away after use.

Such an innovative and convenient product is sure to keep the reminder to brush fresh in your camper’s heads throughout their time away. Get the proper tools for your dental care at camp and beyond. It all starts by clicking here at Everything Summer Camp. Healthy gums lead to a healthy heart and a healthy body all-around! As always, thanks for reading, Camp Fans! And definitely don’t forget to brush your teeth!

- John

Hey, Water-Lovers!

Many of us feel a sense of liberation and affinity when we’re in the water! It’s no surprise that waterfront activities are some of the most popular at summer camps across the country. Water is certainly a major part of our world. For starters, it’s essential to life on this planet. Our bodies are made of roughly 60% water. And 71% of our planet surface itself is covered in water.

It’s kind of a big deal…

And because it’s such a big deal, we dedicate a day—this day—to the oceans of the world; today is Ocean Day. Featuring more water than it does dry land, the earth presents to us a handful of oceans. An ocean is the term we hold for the largest body of water.

There are four to seven oceans on our planet (depending on who you ask). The numbers aren’t changing so much as our classifications. When I attended grade school, I was taught that there were four oceans: the Atlantic, Pacific, Indian, and Arctic.

The Pacific and Atlantic are the biggest oceans and have both been unofficially split up by northern and southern hemispheres which, to some perspectives, adds two more oceans to the count; so the list looks like this: North Pacific, South Pacific, North Atlantic, South Atlantic, Indian, and Arctic (coming in at six).

It was 18 years ago in 2000 when the Southern Ocean was officially recognized as the world’s latest ocean. Constituted of the all the earth’s water below the 60° latitude line, the Southern Ocean brings the count to either five or seven depending on how you feel about splitting up the Pacific and Atlantic.

I myself don’t understand why we want to adjust our count of the oceans—after all, even the count of four that I’m familiar with is really just one. All of these gigantic bodies connect to one another. None of them are actually divided by anything aside from human designation. There’s nothing stopping Atlantic Ocean water from flowing into the Pacific territory.

And at certain points throughout the earth’s history, the ocean waters were even less obviously divided than they are today due to supercontinent formations such as Pangea and Gondwana.

Enjoy looking into this subject matter for yourself and put in your own two cents. Do you think we should have kept it to four oceans? Does the Southern Ocean make a sensical fifth ocean for earth? Maybe you agree with splitting them up into seven OR maybe you’re with me and think we should call it all one. Just…The Ocean. Let us know what you think. Happy Ocean Day and, as always, thanks for reading!

- John

Hey, Happy Hikers!

Summer’s just arriving. Time to get out and hit your local nature trails! Nothing hits the spot like a vigorous walk on a lush, woodsy adventure or the sights along a rocky terrain. And nobody knows this better than summer camps. So strap on your trail shoes when you head off for your summer stay this year! And in the meantime, learn a little about this great hobby and fun camp activity right now.

The history of Hiking is as old as humans, really. Since our days of hunting and gathering as nomadic cultures we wandered the planet in search of ever-moving food sources giving us a natural means of cardio maintenance. And the incentive of survival forced us to traverse rough terrain despite the efforts required.

Hiking gets your blood pumping and makes you feel good. Here’s a quick look at the benefits that Hiking offers us.

Hiking Makes You Happy
Delivering an aspect of physical exertion that treadmills and exercise bikes cannot, trails incorporate beautiful winding turns that feature new landscapes and provide a treat for your eyes. Trails provide an abundance of mental health benefits as well; the air you breathe in is much crisper and brings a fresh supply of oxygen to your brain, resulting in a happier you.

Magic Healer
The physical exertion you put out works wonders for your body. Not only does it reduce your risk of heart disease, it also lowers your blood pressure—a pair of unwanted issues among some leading health problems in our modern world.

Hiking: The Jogging Equivalent
Hiking—especially hiking uphill—is similarly efficient exercise for burning calories as jogging is and helps you lose weight. The pressure that hiking puts on your bones helps to strengthen your bone structure and helps reduce the risk of osteoporosis. It tones your muscles and does good things for your cardiovascular system too. Really, it just increases your overall fitness.

There are lots of things you can do to make a hike a really good time. We have a slew of hiking gear here at Everything Summer Camp to help you enjoy your outing to its max. From hiking boots to water bottles, backpacks, and Hydration packs, we’ve got everything you need. Have fun Hiking at camp and, as always, thanks for reading, Hikers.

- John