Hey, Camp Fans!

I could go on and on forever about the great things going on at Everything Summer Camp—and I will. But every now and then I want to take a break; enough about us—let’s talk about a deserving summer camp organization and all the great summertime activities they have setup for their campers. Brother-sister camps, Camp Kenwood and Camp Evergreen create just such an organization.  Camp Kenwood (for boys) and Camp Evergreen (for girls), located on the same campus in Wilmot, New Hampshire (nearly 100 miles from Boston), where kids can enjoy 210 acres all to themselves including two beaches on Eagle Pond and excellent facilities such as tennis courts, basketball hoops, soccer fields, baseball diamonds, art studios, a music studio, a theater, a ropes course, a climbing wall, and more.

Able to offer an assortment of diverse programs and activities simultaneously, Kenwood and Evergreen offer their campers what they call their Structured Choice Program, which gives kids their pick from two to three options at each activity period.

With a plethora of activities like ceramics, photography, filmmaking, woodshop, cooking, music, dance, archery, soft/baseball, basketball, soccer, tennis, and even MORE, campers are certain to receive a well-rounded, personalized day plan that’s right up their alley!

Founded by Ken Huberman, Camp Kenwood has been around since 1930, and was joined with Camp Evergreen 20 years later—founded by Bernice Huberman (Ken’s wife). Of course, these camps are under different ownership now, but they are just as influential to their campers as they were back then.

The boys and the girls of Kenwood and Evergreen are encouraged to develop their social skills and to create age-appropriate friendships with all campers—regardless of gender. A really great place to have your summer camp experience, check out Camp Kenwood and Camp Evergreen for yourself. And, as always, thanks for reading.

- John

Hey, Everybody!

Happy Mothers’ Day! Mothers across the world are honored on this day for their graceful selflessness and undying love and support. Last year I told you the reason why mothers are honored so and gave a brief history of this holiday, whereas today, I’m going to give you five ways you can honor your moms!1.) Design your own maze, word search, word jumbles or other fun paper and pen games.
Lots of Moms enjoy putting their brains to these fun, little recreational activities. They’re easy entertainment and a fun diversion. And Word Searches can be easy to design if you have some graph paper handy. Just scrawl your motherly-themed words into an allotted ‘board’ and then fill in the remaining grid squares with random letters! I used to make them all the time when I was little.

2.) Make your own card and/or Mother Coupon.
Making your own card is easy! Just fold a normal 8.5” x 11” piece of paper and voila—you have a front, an inside, and a back: a card! Write your mother a little message to express your love and gratitude to her. You can even go the extra mile and give your mom a coupon that offers her uninterrupted, quiet time, a dinner you prepared, a solid housecleaning done by yourself, or some other nice service.

3.) Draw a picture for your mother.
A picture says a thousand words and, often times, the thought of this gift alone is enough to put a tear or two in your mom’s eyes.

4.) Write your mother a poem.
You can always put your rhyming skills to action and write a Mother’s Day Poem. Express your appreciation in verse if you’re a poet and you know it.

5.) Build your mother a craft
Lastly, nothing says ‘Happy Mother’s Day’ like the well-executed result of a creative arts and crafts project that you make. There are a bunch of great ideas out there. I found this one.

Check it out and make something nice for your mom today! Happy Mother’s Day and, as always, thanks for reading!

- John

Hey, Summer Campers!

Since this Blog began back in February of 2013, I’ve been posting about celebrities who either attended summer camp when they were little or have given to summer camps in a significant way. I’ve covered nearly 50 celebrities—some of whom are more involved in the summer camp community than others. I thought it’d be good to review some of those famous folks who have REALLY got involved.  

First, and possibly foremost, to get a second look is Lisa Loeb. Her awesome contributions to summer camps are easily her most notable claim to fame. And my post about her from two years ago only covered half the story. I talked about her time at Camp Champions, just outside Austin Texas, as well as her career which sprouted from her summer camp experience.

What I didn’t tell you about is the Camp Lisa Foundation that she started. Its mission: to help kids, who otherwise wouldn’t be able to, attend summer camp. “Summer camp was a huge part of my childhood,” Lisa has said, “Something I looked forward to, and a relief from the very demanding 11 years of all-girls school…” It’s clear that, after all these, years, Lisa has never forgotten what an impact camp played in her life.

Here’s how it works:

Released in 2008, Lisa’s awesome ‘Camp Lisa’ album—containing twenty-one songs, both camp classics as well as originals performed by Lisa, along with famous guest performers—is all part of the Camp Lisa Foundation. All the proceeds from ‘Camp Lisa’ benefit the foundation that she created, giving underprivileged kids the chance to go to summer camp.

Always pushing for greater awareness of the wonders camp works in youth development through having fun in natural settings, friends, activities, and becoming part of a community, the Camp Lisa Foundation is a fantastic achievement! Check out the album when you get a chance and, as always, thanks for reading.

- John

Hey, Camp Fans!

We’re going all out this season to get the best in gear, clothes, and other camp supplies so your kids can get the most out of their summer camp experience. Ever expanding our shop, we’ve recently brought on an abundance of new apparel from Columbia. I don’t have enough space to go through all of the newly added items on this post, so I just picked three to discuss for today:

1.) the Zero Rules Tee, 2.) the Rain-Zilla Rain Jacket, and 3.) the Bora Bora Booney.

So much more than just a t-shirt, the Zero Rules Short Sleeve Shirt helps keep you cool while you’re having your fun in the sun. Designed to deliver Omni-Shade sun protection of UPF 30, the Zero Rules t-shirt keeps you comfy with Omni-wicking technology as well as sweat-activated cooling so that the more active you make yourself, the cooler you become.

Get a great workout in this shirt and stay as comfy as you are when relaxing. Available in a Men’s design as well as a Women’s V-neck.  Summer’s hot—doesn’t mean you have to be. Cool off with Zero Rules

Make the best of a rainy day with a Rain-Zilla Rain Jacket from Columbia. After all what’s more fun staying perfectly comfortable and dry while stomping around in a wet world? You’ll be like an unstoppable monster destroying whole cities stomping those puddles!

When you puddle it up with this protection, you’re untouchable. King Kong’s got nothing on you with this waterproof fabric on your back. And warm microfleece lining inside, the Rain-Zilla Jacket is perfect. Available in boys and girls designs.

Your boon companion at camp, take the Bora Bora Booney with you when you make your trips out on the lake. Available as the Bora Bora II and Jr. sizes, protect yourself out on the water with THIS fishing hat!

Stylish and protective, this high-performance fishing hat from Columbia combines UPF 50 and an Omni-Wick sweatband to keep you feeling cool and to keep sweat from getting in your eyes. It also blocks 98% of the harmful UV rays from the sun.

Check out all of our great Columbia products right here and, as always, thanks for reading.

- John

Hey, Soon-to-be-Campers!

As we’re all getting prepped for the fast-approaching summer camp season, I’m sure the thrilling anticipation and excitement has charged the air around your home. With the school year coming to a close, impatience intensifies and we’ve all got summer camp on the brain. So, to join in the anticipation for camp, throughout the month of May, I’ll be posting about the Five Goals of Summer Camp.

Noted in their preparatory guidebook, ‘The Summer Camp Handbook,’ Drs. Chris Thurber and Jon Malinowski explain what the five goals of summer camp are and why we should know them. So, what’s the first goal?

Have Fun!

This first goal is never a problem as camps are pretty much founded on having fun. It’s every kid’s first priority and any good camp’s first priority, so it works out pretty well. The director and cabin leaders at your camp are likely very skilled people who know how to make some fun out of even the most mundane activity—like tidying the cabin or gathering firewood.

You might be thinking, “My kid? Have fun cleaning? I don’t think so…”, but stranger things have happened. You’d be surprised what kind of influence a fun, positive example can have on your kid. Summer camps have been successfully working their magic for generations!

But good cabin leaders making a boring time fun is just the tip of the fun iceberg at summer camp. Skilled staff members may be able to make fun out of nothing, but camp offer a vast variety of fun activities, equipment and facilities, as well as peers. With an abundance of new people to meet and a hundred fun things to do and places to see, summer camp was made to show kids a FUN time!

Tune in next Tuesday to read about Goal #2 of summer camp: Improve athletic, artistic, and intellectual skills. And, as always, thanks for reading.

- John