Hey, Campers!

Are you ready to boldly go where no camper has gone before? If there happen to be any trekkies reading this post, you’re in luck! Today I’m talking about the captain of the USS Enterprise, James T. Kirk himself—William Shatner, ladies and gentlemen!

It may be hard to envision it, but Mr. Shatner himself wasn’t always out there exploring the final frontier—when he was your age, he was exploring the twenty acres of private forest where Camp Massad is located, just north of Winnipeg, in Winnipeg Beach, Manitoba, Canada.

There at Camp Massad, William enjoyed the ginormous outdoor pool, the paved tennis courts, basketball courts, the outdoor stage, jungle gym, acres upon acres of private forest, and the beauty of the nearby Lake Winnipeg.

More than just an actor, William Shatner is also a musician, a singer, an author, a film director, a spokesman, and a comedian. Of course, it was his acting on Star Trek from 1966 to 1969 that turned him into a cultural icon for his role as James T. Kirk. He became famous the world over!

Originally, Shatner was cast as the James T. Kirk of the second pilot for Star Trek which wasn’t called Star Trek. It was called “Where No Man Has Gone Before,”—not nearly as catchy as Star Trek! After that, William was contracted to play Kirk for Star Trek.

He also did voice work for the animated series of Star Trek from 1973 to 1974 and he was in seven of the feature films of Star Trek that came out between 1979 and 1994. In the early nineties he hosted the Rescue 911 reality-based television series.

He later starred in the television series the The Practice as well as the spin-off of The Practice, Boston Legal as Denny Crane. He won two Emmy Awards and a Golden Globe for his portrayal. Maybe you’ll win an Emmy or two after your through with summer camp!

Till next time, Campers. Live long and prosper. And, as always, thanks for reading!

Visiting Day Tips & Preparation

About the only thing you can expect on visiting day is that it won’t go quite how you planned it. That’s OK, as long as you remain flexible and open to the experience. Most of you have read my research on homesickness prevention. Think of visiting day as the flip side of that coin. Whereas homesickness is a byproduct of an actual or anticipated separation from home, your child’s erratic visiting day behavior is a byproduct of the intense reunion. Responding sanely takes forethought.

Let’s start with the most obvious bright point: Visiting camp can bring your child great pleasure. But be sure to come only when the camp allows. For example, some camps have a “parents’ weekend,” where parents get to visit their children and see them perform some of the new skills they’ve learned. Other camps have a “visiting day” between sessions, so if your child is staying at camp for two consecutive sessions, you can visit for a day in between.

Whatever the case, abide by the camp’s published schedule. Visiting camp unannounced or on a day that has not been scheduled for visitation is a bad plan. More so than phone calls, in-person visits are an immediate form of contact that can provoke homesickness in your child and envy among her friends.

Unscheduled visits are disruptive to campers’ developing sense of independence. If you have any doubts about the appropriateness of your visit, be sure to call the camp and speak with the director.

Next, prepare yourself for some capricious displays of emotion. Thinking in categories makes it all seem less chaotic. Among the wide range of conduct you’re likely to see on visiting day or closing day are:

The Fountain of Youth. Fountain of Youth kids will be very excited about their camp experience and will immediately want to describe everything about camp in two minutes. Parents will be drenched with a steady stream of stories and explanations that they may not completely understand. Not to worry. Fountain of Youth kids know that their parents are the most important people in their lives, so they want to share with them all the great things that happened. Whirlwind tours of important places and people are a common part of this sharing. Parents should just smile and go along for the ride (with a camera, of course!).

The Poker Face. Poker Face kids probably had a great time at camp, but are oddly quiet on closing day. They don’t want to tell their parents much right away, but parents should not assume this is because they disliked camp. It’s just that Poker Face kids have an especially hard time leaving. They may be a little depressed about leaving new friends and wonderful places. However, the stories and experiences, good or bad, will come out in time. Parents who want the scoop right away can spend a few extra minutes talking to the child’s cabin leader.

The Tearful Camper. Tearful Campers are visibly moved by the close of camp. Tears are a real testament to the power of the overnight camp experience. Indeed, a priceless moment for a cabin leader or a parent is witnessing a camper who cried when he arrived (because the separation was so hard) suddenly cry from sadness that he is leaving. Tearful Campers may want to leave quickly to avoid the awkwardness of the moment, or they may wish to linger. Parents should ask their child’s preference or play the day by ear.

The Sensationalist. Sensationalists immediately tell their parents the single most dramatic thing that happened to them during their camp stay. “When we were camping out, the tent stakes broke and it started to rain, and my sleeping bag got muddy, and then we heard thunder, and I thought we were gonna die!” Don’t assume the worst. All campers have a mix of powerful positive and negative experiences at camp. Sensationalists may tell horror stories, but most of them had a great time at camp. Parents should listen carefully to get a balanced account of the session.

A few other things to remember about visiting day:

• Be on time. Stick to what you promised on opening day. Your son or daughter will be counting on it.

• Take a tour. Your child would love to show you around camp. Keep any critical comments to yourself—this is your child’s time to shine, not defend himself.

• Keep an open mind. You’ll wonder about certain aspects of camp. Ask gently for an explanation before passing judgment. Praise all of your child’s accomplishments.

• Share any sad news early and in person. Telling your child about the death of a pet or sharing any other bad news is best done in person, not in a letter or a phone call (when you’re not there to provide comfort). Break any bad news to your child early on visiting day to give you both time to talk about it.

• Send a replacement if you’ll be absent. Your child wants to see you more than anyone else in the world. However, if you can’t make it up for visiting day, tell your child far in advance. If possible, plan for a friend’s parents to include your child in their own visiting day festivities.

• Prepare for strong feelings. Visiting day can be a wonderfully emotional time, but it’s often hard for kids to say goodbye. Resist the temptation to offer your child a ride home. Instead, be understanding and encouraging. You’ll see her again soon.

Enjoy the summer!

Dr. Christopher Thurber

Hey, Camp Fans!

For today’s blog post I want to tell you about the new products from Teva that we are now proud to be carrying here at Everything Summer Camp. Check out Teva’s sweet summer and sports sandals: the Omnium in kid’s sizes, the Omnium for women, and the very stylish, kid’s sandals they call Barracudas.

Before we go into these products, let me give you a quick breakdown of the technology Teva uses in their certain pieces of footwear. Their Durabrasion Rubber outsole delivers absolute balance, performance and durability. Their Shoc Pad technology keeps a bumpy trail feeling smooth under your feet. Lastly, their Spider Original technology allows you to scale a wet rock with the efficiency of our arachnid friends!

Okay, now let’s take a look at the kid’s Omnium. These innovative sandals offer nearly as much foot coverage as a regular tennis shoe would. This offers full protection for your kids’ feet; however, the sandals sneak in a lot of holes which make it sort of the Swiss cheese of summer sandals. Besides maximum comfort, this sandal offers an extremely grippy Durabrasion Rubber outsole as well as a very comfy EVA midsole.

Onto the Women’s Omnium Sport Sandal, these versatile sport sandals are great for any summer camp adventure! Especially great for water activities like canoeing or hiking in a rainstorm, this shoe is given Spider Rubber and its materials are all quick to dry in order for your feet to remain comfortable. Like the Kid’s Omnium, this sport sandal for women provides you with absolute comfort and protection. Enjoy.

Back to the kid’s sandals, find the Barracudas at Everything Summer Camp. These sandals are cool, waterproof, and just about unbreakable! A very simple design, Barracudas are quite lightweight and very easy on your feet. Finished with Durabrasion Rubber outsole for grip, these sandals are probably most convenient for camp.

So grab some Teva sandals for your summer camp experience! Until next time, Camp Fans!

Hey, Camp Fans!

Are you ready? Yes, being ready for camp is important, but more so I mean ready for war!—the Color Wars, that is. Everything Summer Camp is here to make sure that you arrive at camp ready to show everyone just whose side you’re on—so make sure that you’re dressed in the right colors when you arrive on the battlefield.

All NFL players know that they need to don their team’s uniform when they step out onto the field. If you plan on doing battle in the Color War, you’re going to need your team tee, specific to your team’s color in order for everyone to know just where your loyalties lie.

Keep it in mind while you’re out there this summer, kids—you’re nothing without you’re team. And your team is nothing without its color. When you get your own Color War Tee, you’re getting more than just a 100% cotton tee shirt in a specific color, you’re getting the camp spirit and lifeblood of your team! When you get a Color War Tee, you’re getting the armor that you’ll be fighting in.

All of our Color War Tee Shirts and Team Tees are printed right here in Everything Summer Camp’s own print shop, as well as all of our Name Labels, LidSkinz, and camp clothing.

When summer arrives and you arrive at summer camp, be sure that you know which side you’re on. There are a multitude of options with only one team to choose. What color’s your blood?

Till next time, Camp Fans!

Hey, Camp Fans!

For today’s blog post I want to tell you about the manager of our shipping department, and longtime employee of ten years—Ryan. As you might imagine, our shipping department is a very busy place—this time of year especially. But thanks to Ryan and his orchestration with the crew in shipping, you’re sure to get your quality camp gear from Everything Summer Camp on time!

The mark of a good manager, Ryan knows that he’s got to work as hard as or even harder than what he expects out of his crew in shipping. When an order is placed at Everything Summer Camp, it goes through our system and, after any personalized items on the order are made, the order goes to shipping.

There, Ryan prints out each and every order that needs to go out the door for the day. He and his crew will then do what they call “picking an order”. Orders containing camp gear that doesn’t require our own production, gets “picked” from our stocked products. The order is then looked over to make sure that the order is complete and ready to be shipped out to you.

Ryan and his crew then pack the order, box them up, print the shipping labels, and see them off into the back of a UPS truck. Ryan’s been doing this for the last ten years, so he’s sort of a master of his art at this point.

What he loves most about his job is hearing back from “customers who are thrilled

with our product.” He’s also very proud of the work environment that he’s created with his crew and the camaraderie that they’ve established. A giant sports fan, and a local resident of Boyd (the home of Everything Summer Camp), Ryan lives nearby with his lovely family of three. His wife, himself, and their beautiful little girl, Kaylee.