Hey, Camp Preppers!

I’m posting tips and advice on Mondays throughout April concerning great ways to involve your child in the planning processes of summer camp such as packing and shopping. Last week I introduced the topic and explained the importance of including your kids in the planning stages of summer camp.

Making it something they’re a part of certainly reduces some of the mystery of summer camp for them. They know a little more of what they can expect when they’re a part of the planning. Today I’ll be talking about a vital part of helping your children to prepare for their summer camp experience: solidify the length of your kid’s camp stay in their mind.

There are three ways described by authors Dr. Chris Thurber and Dr. Jon Malinowski in their preparatory guidebook, ‘The Summer Camp Handbook’, available here at Everything Summer Camp.

1.) Use a family calendar to mark the dates of your child’s camp stay. Having this visual representation of when camp starts and ends will generally put a decent idea of just how long camp is in your kid’s head. Make sure the calendar is pinned up in communal areas of your home, like the kitchen refrigerator or a hallway wall.

2.) Referencing time is another way to solidify the length of your kid’s camp stay in his or her mind. Referencing time means to refer to another event of a similar amount of time. If you and your child are thinking of a two week camp stay, ask, “How long did winter break feel? That was two weeks.” What’s vastly more important than your kid’s answer is their focus on lengths of time.

3.) Lastly, you can reframe time. This means putting the length of your kid’s camp stay in perspective. If your kid’s concerned that his or her camp stay will feel too long, you can lessen how ‘LONG’ time will feel. One way to do this is to explain that summer VACATION is a whole ten weeks long. Summer camp will only be one or two weeks. That’s 10 to 20% of summer vacation. That’s NOT that long!

You can also spread out a deck of cards and say that if each card is a week, there are this many cards to one year. Flip two of the cards and say this is how many weeks out of the year you’ll be at summer camp. This visual works great for kids!With these three tips, you should have no problem giving your children an accurate idea of how long their camp stay will be and how long it will feel. Tune in next Monday to learn about what you can avoid before (and during your kid’s camp stay). And, as always, thanks for reading.

 

- John

Hey, Brothers and Sisters!

Today is National Siblings Day. Like it or not, your siblings are some of the closest people to you. They’re right there with you as you BOTH grow up. There are often times lots of laughs, lots of fights, lots of tattling, and lots of secrets shared. May as well make the best of it. 

Just as we have Mother’s Day and Father’s Day, today we have Siblings Day and spending the day with your sibling/s is a great way to celebrate it. What’s the point in National Siblings Day? I mean, our siblings don’t necessarily take care of us (some might, but in that scenario, only one of the siblings is doing the care-giving). AND not everyone even HAS a sibling!

So why have a day dedicated entirely to them? Well, because, unlike your friends, you can’t pick your siblings—not that there isn’t a World Friendship Day. But you’re stuck with the family to which you’re born and nothing can ever really change that. Even if you secede from your family, your siblings will still have been your siblings. You just won’t be joining them for family get-togethers anymore.

Almost all siblings are going to fight once in a while, unless you’re extremely like-minded twins who are always on the same page or something like that. I’m very close to all four of my siblings and, despite that, I can say, with absolute confidence, that at some point or another I’ve fought with them all.

But just because you might fight with your younger or older brother or sister, doesn’t mean that you don’t share a deep connection with each other. Celebrate National Siblings Day today by spending some quality time with your brothers or sisters. Go for a walk. Ride your bikes. Play a game. Watch a movie. Whatever you do, you’ll be happy to be doing it together.

Happy National Siblings Day and, as always, thanks for reading.

 

- John

 

Hey there, all you Happy Campers!

Here at Everything Summer Camp—the home of C&N Footlockers—we’re modest people, but there’s no getting around the facts and, in point of fact, our footlocker trunks are simply the best the whole world over. When you purchase a C&N Camp Trunk, you know you’re getting the best quality trunk available.

What makes our trunks better than any other is all in our careful construction. We don’t take any shortcuts or cut any corners in our manufacturing processes. Built using 3/8” Aspen plywood, the exterior is covered with a steel sheet that’s lead-free, scratch-free, and given a baked-on enamel finish. The interiors are lined with DuraWrap, a water-resistant, odor-free, and virtually tear-proof paper.

The most popular of our camp trunks, the Happy Camper LOVES summer camp! Spacious, this camp trunk never gave anyone any concerns over comfortably storing their belongings with security. It’s available in 22 awesome C&N colors. But none of that’s changed.

What we DID change in this NEW version of the Happy Camper is the trim color. Featuring hardware coated in a lead-free, black enamel, baked-on finish. Like adding a bold outline to your camp trunk, the new Black Trim accentuates your trunk, making it REALLY stand out now! It also includes a new, larger handle which making itself easier to carry.

Over the years, we’ve gotten so many requests for black trim on our footlocker trunks. Well, it took us a little while to get it right, but the wait is over now, here it is: The Happy Camper sporting Black Trim. Just $20 more than the standard version (which is still available too), this trunk has never looked better.

See which trim and hardware style suits you best and order your own Happy Camper online with us today. As always, thanks for reading.

 

- John

Hey, Campers!

When looking for the right sleeping bag, people typically make the mistake of asking, “What’s your warmest sleeping bag?” But this isn’t necessarily the best question because it won’t necessarily get you the best sleeping bag—just the warmest. 

So, if the warmest sleeping bag isn’t the best one, then what is? Good question, but one whose answer is far from universal. The answer to this question relies on a number of different variables concerning location and average temperature during specific months. What will be the best sleeping bag for you?

Once you’ve determined what the temperature will likely be in the area of your camp during the time that you’ll be there, you’ll want to keep it in mind while you’re shopping. And remember: temperature ratings can sometimes be exaggerated; if you expect there to be 40° nights at camp, maybe go with a sleeping bag that has a 30° temperature rating.

In preparation for the upcoming summer camp season, Everything Summer Camp has brought on new sleeping bags from Wenzel and Kelty.

The Wenzel Temperature Control Sleeping Bag is made with layers so you can opt to bundle up or go lighter with the covers! Fluctuating from 30-60° temperature ratings, this sleeping bag is customizable. You’re in control of your sleeping bag’s layers. With a removable middle layer, you can either use it in your bag for a full administration of warmth, or you can use it as a blanket on its own.

Or go with the Kelty Tuck 22° Sleeping Bag. One warm mummy bag, this thing is filled with a performance insulation that Kelty calls ThermaPro. Designed to easily compress—despite its excellent retention of warmth—this bag makes itself easy to pack up.

Make sure to get the right sleeping bag for you and, as always, thanks for reading, Camp Fans!

 

- John

Hey, Camp Fans!

Here at Everything Summer Camp, we just can’t help ourselves but to give credit where credit is due. That’s why we like to talk up the people whose products we offer; we also like to talk up camps that excel at showing kids a great camp experience. Shining the spotlight all across the country, the camp we talk about next could be the one you’re attending this summer!Just like Everything Summer Camp, Camp Timberlane is also located in Wisconsin. Proud to operate in the same state, Timberlane’s all-boys camp is roughly a two-and-a-half-hour drive from us, located alongside Lake Towanda in Woodruff.

A beautiful campground, Timberlane is equipped with awesome facilities and features of great variety, so there’s sure to be SOMEthing for EVERYone! They’ve got a climbing tower, an archery area, basketball and tennis courts, a batting cage as well as a baseball diamond, a volleyball court, and an impressive setup for water activities like waterskiing, fishing, sailing, boating, or just, plain swimming!

For fun, indoor activities, the Timberlane Recreation Hall is a kid magnet! Featuring a Ping-Pong table, a Fusball table, and Shuffleboard, the Rec. Hall is definitely a pretty exciting place. This gorgeous log structure is also where the camp’s Guitar Classes are taught as well as the Comedy Sportz Improv Classes and the Gymnastics Program.

The campers all retire to their designated cabins at night, but no matter whether you’re staying in the Cheyenne Cabin, the Sioux, Cherokee, or any of the other dozen cabins at Timberlane, you’re cabin sits along the peaceful lakeshore. What more could a kid ask for in this lovely, wooded setting?

Camp Timberlane operates away from their campground as well. In fact, a major part of Camp Timberlane’s program is their amazing wilderness trips. They send river canoeing, lake canoeing, backpacking, rock climbing, and sea kayaking trips that travel all over Wisconsin, Minnesota, Michigan, and Canada. Their trips last for as long as 12 days in spectacular wilderness settings. Highly skilled and qualified trip leaders accompany each trip and teach the kids outdoor living and environmental stewardship.

Because all in all, Camp Timberlane is much more than just a place—it’s a community where kids have been gathering for over 50 years, to gain skills and inner growth through the subtleties of playing, making friends, and having FUN! Find out what Camp Timberlane can do for your child! Check it out for yourself!

 

- John