Hey, Summer Campers!

Did you know that there are millions upon millions upon millions of kids—just like you—who go to summer camp every year? Considering that, it’s really not that surprising to see that so many of our favorite celebrities themselves have attended summer camps when they were your age.

Read up on your favorite celebrities. Maybe they even went to the same summer camp that you’re attending! How cool would it be to know that you’re going to the same camp as Lisa Loeb, or maybe even the great and powerful Oz himself—James Franco.

Well, if any of you are planning on spending your summer at URJ Henry S. Jacobs Camp in Utica, Mississippi, then you’ll be attending the same summer camp as Snow White—or American actress, Ginnifer Goodwin who plays Snow White on TV.

Run by the Union for Reform Judaism (URJ), Henry S. Jacobs Camp has been giving kids from all around the Deep South a great summer camp experience since 1970. This camp’s goal is to help its campers develop some new skills, realize some things about themselves as well as the community around them. It looks like it did some good for Ms. Goodwin.

Probably known best for her roles in Mona Lisa Smile, and He’s Just Not That into You, Ginnifer currently plays the lead role of Mary Margaret Blanchard (a.k.a. Snow White) in the television series, Once Upon a Time on ABC. She also played Aunt Bea in the great water balloon scene from Ramona and Beezus which is based on the Ramona novels by Beverly Cleary.

Ginnifer didn’t really start her career until after college. She graduated from Boston University’s College of Fine Arts with a Bachelor’s in Acting. Dedication, patience, and a bit of summer camp took Ginnifer a long way. How will your summer camp experience help shape you?

Hey there, Camp Fans!

Before you go and pick out every single top you plan on wearing to camp—hold on! We’ve got good news! We’ve been hard at work here at Everything Summer Camp to come up with our very own, original line of cotton camp tees. We call it our Life of Camp T-shirt Collection.

Each one of these ten Life of Camp T-shirts sports cool, campy artwork or message with a fun font designed by Everything Summer Camp’s graphic designer. She wowed us with her designs so we hope you’re just as pleased with the new line.

First of all, we have our Ten for Two T-shirts. These tees follow the philosophy that we live ten months out of the year for the two that we get to spend at summer camp. One shirt shouts “Ten For Two” and the other cleverly expresses the phrase in roman numerals.

Girls, we also have a couple of adorable camp tees for you in our collection. For those of you who come from royalty, we have our very pink “It isn’t easy being a Camp Princess” T-shirt. For all the other girls shirts, we have our “Camp Like a Girl” tee.

You’ll love to camp in any one of our great graphic tees. Our Happy Camper, Take a Hike, and Camp Elements T-shirts really set the mood for an adventuresome summer camping experience. The Happy Camper sets the scene of being right at home in the great outdoors while the Take a Hike T-shirt paints the picture of distant wilderness to travel. The semi-iconic Elements tee is truly transcendent.

While the last three kids shirts rely heavily on the artwork, these next three have stronger messages in their words: “Keep Calm and Camp On,” “I Tree Camp,” and “Eat. Sleep. Camp. Repeat.” Each shirt still has a graphic feature and remains visually appealing to the eye.

In other words, you can’t go wrong with our Life of Camp T-Shirt Collection! Check it out here at Everything Summer Camp. Till next time, Camp Fans!

Packing Ends and Odds

What to pack isn’t half as interesting as how to pack. As you read this, millions of parents are doing it the wrong way. They’re packing for their children, instead of with their children. In a prior Everything Summer Camp e-mail, I discussed how important it is to involve your child in all of the big and small decisions regarding camp. Parents and children should shop together, choose a footlocker or trunk together, and, of course, pack together. “C’mon,” you protest, “my kid wouldn’t know how to pack a trunk if his life depended on it.” Not unless you let him help.

I laugh thinking about my days as a cabin leader, chastising a camper for wearing only a T-shirt on a cold rainy day, only to have him reply, “But I don’t have a raincoat!” Odd, I think to myself. So we’d open up his footlocker together and lift up the top tray. Lo and behold! Stacks of neatly folded clothes, including—you guessed it—a raincoat. Cue the dreamy harp music. “Oh, I had no idea. My mom packed this all for me.” I think you get the picture. Indeed, there are benefits to packing together that extend far beyond the joys of spending casual time with your son or daughter.

And now a few insider tips on what to pack that most camps won’t tell you.

• Label everything. Admit it. Even though you’ve read this recommendation from me before, you’ve already set aside a few things for camp that don’t have your son or daughter’s name on them. Baseball glove? Toothbrush? Sunglasses? Underwear? Shampoo? Between iron-on labels, laundry markers, and a commercial tape labeler, you can slap a name on anything.

• Label the footlocker or trunk. No, I don’t have a raging case of obsessive-compulsive disorder. Believe it or not, you do need to label the container in which you and your child are packing all of this beautifully labeled gear. Good quality footlockers, for example, get used as ladders, card tables, and even wind up outside from time to time. So yes, it has to have a name on it or in it.

• Pack the packing list. Next thing you know I’m going to be asking you to label the laundry marker you send with your child, right? (Come to think of it, that’s not such a bad idea.) Anyway, placing the list of everything you’ve packed inside the trunk itself serves as an excellent checklist at the end of the season. It’s the guideline for repacking, so be sure it’s complete.

• Avoid sprays. Most bug sprays, deodorant sprays, and even perfume atomizers create flammable vapors. Better to pack stick or lotion forms of bug spray and toiletries. (And leave the perfume at home.) Not convinced? Imagine a bunch of eight-year-olds with a half dozen cans of spray repellent dousing themselves around a roaring campfire. Got that image? Now delete.

• Enlist support. Social support is important and helps promote adjustment. But the kind of support I’m talking about here is more…intimate. Let’s just say that some activities for young men and women and more comfortable with bras and jock straps on. That’s right. Excessive bouncing during horseback riding, mountain biking, and plain old running can be uncomfortable. Almost as uncomfortable as asking your parents to buy these undergarments. So, if your child is hitting puberty, assume they need this support and shop for it (with them, of course) matter-of-factly. Hey, they can always elect not to wear it. Kind of like the raincoat they discover at the bottom of their trunk.

Enjoy the summer!

Dr. Christopher Thurber

Hey there, Camp Boys and Girls!

Ever wonder how Memorial Day came about? I’m sure many of you know that it’s the federal holiday of the United States in which we remember and honor the many soldiers who have died serving their country. But this blog post is meant to inform you on the history of the day.

The story of Memorial Day begins after the American Civil War. After the war ended and our country was once again united, it was originally given the name Decoration Day, meant to remember both Union and Confederate soldiers who died in the Civil War.

Memorial Day occurs every year on the last Monday in May. Nowadays, it’s typically thought of as a marker for beginning of the summer season (as opposed to Labor Day which marks its end). The meaning behind the day has been stretched to honor not just the soldiers who died in the Civil War, but all soldiers who have fallen during their time in the service of the United States Military.

The holiday is often notable for visiting cemeteries and memorials. There are volunteers across the whole country that offer to go around in national cemeteries to place small, United States flags on each grave.

We remember those who have died in the service of the American Military because they died in order for us to appreciate the freedom upon which our country is founded. Because of them, we live in a world that offers an educational, school program, beautiful days that we can spend grilling out with friends and family, and—of course—going to summer camp!

So Summer Campers, I hope after reading this post that you have a better appreciation for today’s holiday with a better understanding of it. Until next time, Boys and Girls! Thanks for reading!

Hey, Summer Camp Preppers!

The end of May is near and camp is right around the corner which means that if you’re not ready for summer camp, it should be at the top of your “to do” list to finish preparing. Keep in mind that Everything Summer Camp is here as your one stop shop since we truly have everything you will possibly need for summer camp.

Do you feel like you’ve pushed it too far and that now it’s too close to the first day of camp? That’s what we’re here for. We can ship your order fast! Everyone here at Everything Summer Camp is well aware that summer camp doesn’t start June-ish—it’s a very specific date and we have just one shot at getting your child to camp fully prepared.

We understand how waiting until the last minute happens for people. We know how busy life is. On top of everything in your life, your kids’ school is wrapping up and they’re home with you all day again. We know how easy it is to push off purchasing your kids’ camping gear. But when you order through Everything Summer Camp, I can assure you, you have absolutely nothing to worry about.

Our competitors don’t seem to see anything wrong in making you place your order an entire month in advance. Or, if it’s not that, they just empty your wallet and still ask for an arm and a leg in order to ship your gear to you on time. But that doesn’t seem right to us. At Everything Summer Camp we stock all products or make them in-house so your entire order will ship in days not weeks.

It’s as simple as that.

So go ahead and wait! You’ve got time. Just make sure that you order through Everything Summer Camp to get your camp gear for a decent price and quickly.

THIS JUST IN:  What’s better than Fast Shipping?  Fast & Free Shipping.  For Memorial Day Weekend Everything Summer Camp is offering FREE UPS Ground shipping when you order any Camp Trunk or Pop Up Soft Trunk.  Sale ends Tuesday 5/28 at 1pm EST.