Hey, Camp Aficionados!

We were very happy that received roughly 30 submissions about the camp experience for our ‘Share Your Camp Story’ Contest that was held here at Everything Summer Camp. We’re excited to post each of your entries right here on the Blog now! To follow our seven lucky winners of larger prizes, all other entrants received a $15 gift certificate to our online store! Today’s post is from Vannessa H., who wrote in to tell us about her son’s camp-filled summer experience that started at Camp Geiger. Here’s her story:

“I am the parent of Colten and wife to Steve H. As they prepare for a busy summer, packing them up to go away was a big part of it for me. Colten was our big traveler this year. He started out with Boy Scout camp about two hours from home. Geiger camp off Rt K in St Joseph, MO. Colten H has been going to scout camp for 6 years. A week in a tent and activities like swimming, hiking, zip line, camp fires, and more. This camp was Sunday to Saturday with one family night. (So that moms can bring clean clothing and take dirty one’s home. Well ok, get a hug too) There are hundreds of boys at this camp. As a mom, I have crazy images of how items get strung all over the many acres. An email is always sent out a week later saying that something has been found or lost.
                On the last day of scout camp, we got up at 4am to go pick him up early. He had to catch the church van that was already in route to Glorieta, New Mexico! (We live in Northern Missouri) He changed out suit cases and was off to camp #2. This was his first year to attend this camp. A great camp for intense activities and Bible studies. His favorites were rock climbing and zero gravity scooters. The downhill dirt track had hills/ramps that he was able to get ‘air time’. A mud pit was a favorite for many too! It is funny how labels of who you think you are or status or click you belong to come off when covered in mud –you are all the same. I love to hear from those that went to this camp on how they really bonded as a family.
                Next camp, a mission trip that Steve and Colten went on together about five days after Colten was home. This gave me a chance to wash ALL the really dirty, set in grime. This trip was to Nicaragua to build homes and share the love of Jesus. This too was a new experience for Colten H. This is the third year that Steve H has gone. Their checked baggage was a tote filled with items for an adopted family. They took a gift for the children from the first two families. Steve loves the girls from the first year and has a family type bond with them. They join up with other churches and Project Hope out of Springfield, MO. Anyway, the only clothing they have for themselves is in a carry on backpack. They stay in a compound with about 45 people. They have a staff that washes clothing for them while they are out in the villages. Your stuff was to be clearly marked with your name or initials. The group left the country after five baptized and a wedding! But the real change comes in the 45 people that went.
                Everything Summer Camp helped everything get returned home to the right closest! The clothing went through very active events and many washings. The tags were on everything from backpacks, socks and underwear, T shirts, and more. A few are starting to come off now, but this mom is happy to have everything home—including two very important men.”

What a fun-filled summer Colten had! He must be moving into adolescence gracefully with all his experiences! Glad your important men are back by your side. Check out Camp Geiger for yourself to see where Colten stayed. Maybe it’ll be a good match for you. As always, thanks for reading!

- John

Hey, Camp Folks!

We work with over 250 summer camps with whom we’ve developed special relationships, here at Everything Summer Camp. We’re proud of that fact and so we frequently enjoy featuring each of those camps in their own Blog post. We call them our ‘Summer Camp Spotlight’ posts and, today, we’re swinging our spotlight south on Camp Woodmont for boys and girls.Situated on top of Lookout Mountain in Northwest Georgia, the natural setting and complimentary facilities create a wonderful camp spirit throughout all 170 acres of hardwood forests, beautiful pastures, the green, rolling meadows, along with plenty of protective shade from the sun at Camp Woodmont. These campgrounds are a giant playground for kids—made of magical beauty and the encouragement to grow.

Campers at Camp Woodmont will have a blast with an assortment of traditional activities at summer camp such as Archery, Ball Sports and Field Games, Outdoor Adventuring, Ropes Course, Wall Climbing, Zip Lining, Horseback Riding, Golf, Fishing, Canoeing, Swimming, and so much more.

But Woodmont makes time to squeeze in some of their own traditional activities like Splashmat Contests, Puddle Jumping, Painting Horses, Life-Size Game of Clue, Mummy Mummy, and more!

Blessed with scenic rock formations and a small lake, Camp Woodmont has built on this land with careful consideration to work in harmony with the natural setting since they were first founded by Mr. and Mrs. “B” (Jane and Jim Bennett) in 1981. The campgrounds, now complete, with a Dining Hall, Nurse’s Clinic, Gym, Swimming Pool, Athletic Field, Mini-Golf Course, Cabins, and more provide a peaceful place where kids have the time of their lives!

All of the cabins at Woodmont provide electricity for the campers and the bathhouses are very close by. Each Woodmont camper is assigned to a cabin based on age. The campers then select their own bunk bed and shelf for personal items. The cabins each house 6-8 campers as well as a cabin leader.

If Camp Woodmont sounds like it might just be the right camp for your kid, get a closer look at them right here on their website and, as always, thanks for reading!

- John

Hey, Penguin People!

Penguins are a favorite for lots and lots of people and it’s no surprise since they’re one of the most unique and interesting birds on our planet. Their species developed in what we call the ‘Era of the Mammals’—around the same time as the first horses, whales, and monkeys of the world. However, while penguins may have arrived at the same time, they aren’t mammals…or are they?
There is much debate as to how penguins should be classified. Clearly, they’re one of the rare species of flightless birds like ostriches, emus, cassowaries, certain ducks, auks, and a few others. But they also have blubber which is mainly a mammal thing. They also spend the vast majority of their life underwater like a fish, but they walk around on land too, as amphibians do.

How weird is that?! No wonder we have a day dedicated to this confusing bird! Celebrate Penguin Awareness Day with us and check out these facts that I put together about this amazingly bizarre bird!

They’re Not Slow.
Notorious for their upright posture and their waddling locomotion, penguins are typically depicted as slow-moving animals. This presumption, however, is completely inaccurate. In fact, there are some penguins out there, like the Adelie Penguin, that can actually move faster than most humans are able to run. And when they really need to cover some ground and FAST, they just hop on their bellies and move like toboggans!

They’re Not Fat, They’re…well, okay…they kind of are...
They need that layer to survive, though! As all marine mammals like seals, otters, orcas, and whales, penguins wear a layer of blubber under their skin too. The only bird with blubber, penguins are smart to have evolved with this trick of aquatic mammals—they would never survive the arctic temperatures without this special layer of fat.

They Drink Salt Water.
“Water, water everywhere, but not a drop to drink.”—such is the case when you’re lost at sea, but not if you’re a penguin. While salt water just won’t work with human bodies because of how salty it is, penguins can drink the stuff down all day. Thanks to a gland they have that actually filters the salt from the water, penguins will never die of dehydration by salt water.

They’re Not Afraid of Us.
Especially in comparison to other birds, penguins aren’t afraid of people. They don’t really have a reason to care much about us because penguins don’t typically have an abundance of land predators. What penguins need to watch out for are circling birds of prey overhead—that’s their biggest threat.

They Dress in Camo.
The black-and-white plumage of penguins—often associated with a white shirt and tailcoat—are actually camouflage. Camouflage from the water, that is. Their black backs are lost in the dark depths of the sea and their white stomachs are easily mistaken for the sunlight that reflects off the water’s surface. Of course, their black backs are easily seen against the snow, but I suppose it’s more important to be unseen in the water when you spend 75% of your life in the wet stuff!

It’s no wonder that we find these creatures so fascinating! Happy Penguin Awareness Day, Everyone! Learn more about our feathered friends here and, as always, thanks for reading.
 

- John

Hey, Camp Aficionados!

We were excited to see so many great entries about the camp experiences of roughly 30 campers’ submissions for the ‘Share Your Camp Story’ Contest that we held here at Everything Summer Camp. Now we’re excited to post each of your entries right here on the Blog! To follow our seven lucky winners of larger prizes, all other entrants received a $15 gift certificate to our online store! Today’s post is from Madeline S. She wrote in to tell us about her fun summer at Camp Lindenmere. Here’s what she shared with us:

“Hello, my name is Madeline and I am 11 years old. I have attended three different sleep-away camps since I was seven years old. Wow, it’s been quite a journey to finding my preferable sleep-away camp! But, I’ve finally accomplished my intention to find my destiny camp. It started out in 2012, when I attended Camp Raquette Lake in Lake Placid, NY. I was not a big fan of the camp, even though the view was so scenic and my cousins also attended it. The people there were also not genuinely kind people. The next year, my parents sent me to an alternate sleep-away camp called Camp Emerson, in Hinsdale, Massachussetts. I tremendously enjoyed this second camp experience, comparatively to the prior one. My favorite camp activities there were cartooning and video. I still carry memories from those activities to this day. Next year, I returned to Camp Emerson, eager for another pleasant summer. The camp experience itself was similar to last year’s and was extremely fun. In contrast, the only issue I had was when I encountered a girl that wasn’t particularly nice. She was very harmful to me in verbal ways. I spoke to many camp officials regarding these concerns and they spoke to her on plenty of occasions. For some reason, the girl seemed to not be motivated to stop. She just continued her rude behaviors and made my summer completely miserable. Once the summer was over, I decided that two years was enough at Camp Emerson. My family and I talked to multiple camp experts, who suggested a wide selection of possible camps, but one really stuck out to us. The name: Camp Lindenmere. This year, I attended camp Lindenmere and had the best summer of my entire life (so far)! I couldn’t have done it without my best friends and all of the supportive staff that kept me going in some of my rougher moments. Everything there was outstanding—from the food, to the activities, to the staff, to the different departments, it is just the most incredible camp out there. My favorite activities were soccer, flying trapeze, candle-making, gaga, and newspaper. And there’s no doubt about it that I am going back next year! Thanks for reading my camp story and I hope that you enjoyed it!”

It’s great that you finally found a suitable match for yourself in Camp Lindenmere, Madeline. Too bad camp’s thrown you a number of curve balls, but it sounds like you’re in a good place now. Hope your years to come are just as much fun! Maybe Camp Lindenmere is the right camp for you. You can check it out for yourself right here and, as always, thanks for reading!

- John

Hey, Camp Folks!

Here at Everything Summer Camp, we truly love expanding our selection of camping gear and other camp supplies to provide our shoppers with more options in accessorizing their camp endeavors! And sometimes we just can’t help ourselves when we see awesome, new products from innovative brand names like Coghlan’s, TexSport, and Outdoor Products

One of our latest finds comes from the SAFEGO brand, introducing their portable travel safe for confidence in storing your valuables off your person—handy at places like the beach, the park, the gym, and the poolside. The SAFEGO Safe will hold onto your belongings pretty much anywhere you need it to and it’s specially designed for theft prevention so you can put your worries of leaving your valuables to rest.

It’s typical for beach-goers to throw their valuables inside their shoes or to stuff their wallets and other pocket items into their rolled-up shirt. Unfortunately, many an item has gone missing in scenarios just like these. This was the case for Zach Perlman, the founder of SAFEGO, who one day returned to his beach towel after a 15-minute swim to discover his wallet, keys, and phone were gone.

An unfortunate discovery for Zach, this was the moment, however, that inspired the invention of SAFEGO and the Portable Travel Safe.

This sturdy accessory for safekeeping at summer camp is made from lightweight, durable, and water/sand-resistant, high-impact plastic. The lock hardware on the safe is rust-resistant, nickel plated zinc alloy, made to handle any outdoor conditions. It’s got a heavy-duty, plastic-coated steel cable made from material similar to a bike lock that easily attaches to a beach chair, table leg, park bench, or pretty much any fixed object.

Keep your keys, cash, wallet, camera, sunglasses, jewelry, or any other belongings you have along at camp safely stored away no matter where you go with SAFEGO’s brilliant Portable Travel Safe. You can check it out right here on our website and, as always, thanks for reading!

- John