Hey, Summer Campers!

For today’s post, I want to talk about a number of attractive pieces we’re now carrying at Everything Summer Camp from Speedo’s girls swim suits. Read on to take a closer look at Speedo’s Racer Logo Splice single-piece swimsuit, the Love Burst three-piece Rashguard Set, and the impressive Girl’s Speedry Short—all of which is built with Xtra Life LYCRA® fiber.

These swim wear pieces are made using modern advancements in technology. They’re made to be more durable, sun resistant, and more fitting to your form. Put on these pieces for ultimate comfort, protection, and flexibility.

First, the Speedo Racer Logo Splice. This single-piece swimsuit is made to be five, maybe ten times more durable than an ordinary spandex swimsuit. The fabric delivers a strong resistance to suntan lotion, natural skin oils, and chlorine. It’s given Racerback styling to give it flexibility and maximum arm movement while swimming. This bright swimsuit is perfect for camp.

Onto the Speedo Love Burst three-piece Rashguard Set, including a two-piece swimsuit and then a matching rashguard, giving you more body coverage for greater sun protection. The fabric of this swim wear helps to resist sagging and is given anti-wedgie silicone gripper to keep this swimsuit in place. It’s colorful with a cool explosion print, it’s lightweight so it dries quickly, and it has exclusice UV Block the Burn® with UPF 50+ protective fabric.

And lastly, the Speedo Girl’s Speedry Short—it uses VaporPLUS® technology to repel H2O in no time flat! Just like the other pieces of girls swim wear, these shorts are made to last five to ten times longer than ordinary spandex fabrics. These shorts have a thick elastic waistband with a bright color explosion. They’re lightweight so they dry fast. Sport these shorts and look cool at the beach or at the pool!

Hey, Camp Kids!

You know who used to be a summer camper just like yourselves? Funny man Seth Rogen! This very successful comedian, actor, writer, producer, director, and voice artist got his start performing stand-up comedy at Camp Miriam, a beautiful 20-acre waterfront site in Canada on the Gabriola Island—close to Vancouver.

Passionate about making others laugh, Seth didn’t stop after summer camp. At the young age of 16, he took second place in the Vancouver Amateur Comedy Contest of 1998. “As soon as I realized you could be funny as a job, that was the job I wanted,” Seth has said about himself.  

Also in 1998, he a landed a small role alongside James Franco in the short-lived cult classic Freaks and Geeks. Though Seth still lived with his family in Canada when he got the part, they relocated together to live in Los Angeles. Seth paid the bills for his family after his father lost his job and his mother quit hers. He was already receiving the largest wages in the family.

Though Freaks and Geeks lasted only one season, it gave Seth the opportunity to meet James Franco as well as the writer of the show, Judd Apatow. With some guidance from Judd (who became a very close-knit friend of Seth’s) as well as his own hard work and determination, Seth has ventured into the realm of super stardom thanks to his film career.

Seth always thought he’d be more successful as a screenwriter than a Hollywood actor, but the actor most-likely underestimated his own charisma. In any case, he seems to have found his niche in writing, directing, producing, and acting in his own movies.

Aside from his live-action comedies, he has done voice work for a number of cartoon films such as Horton Hears a Who!, Kung Fu Panda, Monsters vs. Aliens, and Paul.

Despite his success, Seth is one actor who stays humble and remembers his beginnings. “Obviously, I can’t stress how important Judd’s been to my career,” he’s said about his friend. Seth may have started out on a small scale telling jokes at summer camp, but look at where it took him!

Where will summer camp take you? Till next time, Camp Folks! And thanks for reading.

Young people at overnight camp make many adjustments, but none as new as shifting how they keep in touch with their parents. Are you sitting down? The 2010 Kaiser Family Foundation report on media use among 8-18-year-olds revealed that camper-age boys and girls send an average of 118 texts per day. That’s about 90 minutes of thumb punching on top of more than 30 minutes of (quaintly retro) talking. If that surprises you, check your cell phone bill. If you don’t like what you see, consider setting some limits. Only 14% of boys and girls say their parents limit texting. But I digress.

Add the two hours of cell time to the (ready for this?) average of 7½ hours of media exposure per day—much of it multitasking—and you’ll start to appreciate the magnitude of the relational paradigm shift you and your child are in for. What will it be like to not text or talk on the phone for two weeks? An even more powerful question: What will your son or daughter do with those 80+ hours of non-media time?

Don’t panic. Families have been keeping in touch during camp for nearly 150 years. You have some elegant historical traditions to take the place of texting. OK, you don’t need papyrus, octopus ink and a feather, but you should prepare an inexpensive stationery kit. Start with a zipped freezer bag and pack it with pre-stamped, pre-addressed envelopes and postcards, paper, and a few #2 pencils. The plastic bag will protect everything from the humidity, but if you want to splurge, buy self-sealing envelopes rather than the lick-and-stick kind. The easier you make it for your son or daughter to correspond with you, the more likely it is they will.

As a bonus, consider this: Writing whole paragraphs rather than truncated sentences will encourage the creation of narrative. And narrative has a special power to advance self-understanding. When your son or daughter writes stories to you about their camp experience, they’re promoting their own cognitive growth and emotional adjustment. Sure, you’ll keep some of the best letters to read aloud during a wedding toast, but the real beauty of old-fashioned letter writing is for the sender. And rest assured: Waiting for your newsy, upbeat reply forces a healthy delay of gratification, something which is increasingly difficult for a generation that grew up with high-speed wireless.

So about those 118 average texts per day. I’m willing to bet that you’re on the receiving end of about half of those. In other words, you’ve got an adjustment to make yourself. Temporarily severing the digital umbilical is healthy but challenging for parents as well as for children. My advice? Arrange some practice time away from home for your son or daughter. A long weekend at a friend’s house is a good start. And during those two or three days, take a complete break from cell phones. Commit to writing one substantive letter and have your son or daughter do the same. The challenge is worth the risk: You’ll both get more out of the upcoming camp experience.

Enjoy the summer!

Dr. Christopher Thurber

Hey there, Camp Enthusiasts!

I’d be willing to bet that if there’s one thing we all can’t stand about the summer season, everyone would answer unanimously. It’s the bugs! They cause so much irritation and, otherwise unnecessary, inconvenience.

Whether you simply try to avoid the outdoors in general, or remember to stop periodically to reapply your smelly spray, lotion, or whatever else you may have—we wouldn’t have to go to such great lengths if it wasn’t for the bugs.

Well, what if I told you there was a different solution? Another way to protect yourself against the bugging and biting of parasitic insects in the summertime. A way that didn’t involve constant reapplication or tedious coverage of your exposed skin.

I’m not just teasing you, here! This other solution actually exists! It’s called the Bug Patch from Foxworthy Outdoors and it’s amazing. No smell, no residue, no restrictions, no bugs! From ticks to mosquitoes to chiggers to gnats to black and yellow flies, the Bug Patch guarantees your protection from all of them for 24 hours using just one patch!

The Patch works on a completely natural level. There’s no DEET or any other chemically-based activity happening underneath this natural insect repellent.

Like other B vitamins, thiamin specifically, is excreted in perspiration. It also carries the scent that seems to be so appealing to those darn bugs! Cleverly, the Patch sends a uniform shipment of the vitamin B1 thiamin through your bloodstream. Then it is secreted through your pores as you sweat, masking the odor of carbon dioxide that the bugs seem to like so much.

They won’t even notice that you’re there.

There aren’t any locational restrictions when it comes to wearing the Patch. It won’t come off in a pool or in the shower! The Bug Patches have been awarded the National Parenting “Seal of Approval.” It’s 100% natural and recommended by doctors.

Enjoy the summer without any sprays, lotions, or bugs!

Hey, Camp Fans!

Summer camp means fun, sun, and enjoying the great outdoors. Unfortunately it also means making sure that you’re protected from ticks, mosquitos, chiggers, gnats, fleas, and other bothersome bugs that scratch and bite. You’re going to have to fight back to the best of your abilities.

In our last blog post we discussed some of our new natural insect repellents and while they offer great bug protection some camps want kids to bring an insect repellent with a little more “kick”.

Everything Summer Camp has you covered with Repel® 100% DEET, Repel® Insect Repellent Gear Smart Formula™ Aerosol, Cutter All Family, and Cutter Backwoods.

The Repel® 100% DEET is made up completely of DEET, the bugs don’t have a chance against this stuff! And you won’t have to keep on reapplying it throughout the day. You may have to spray twice in the same day depending on how much time you plan on spending outside. But the Repel® 100% DEET spray pump bug repellent will remain effective and keep you protected for as long as 10 hours!

Repel® made Insect Repellent Gear Smart Formula™ Aerosol sports equipment and buggy conditions in mind. It’s really strong for really buggy areas. And you’ll do no damage to your equipment! This stuff is ready to go to war for—10 hours if need be.

Cutter has their All Family bug spray. It isn’t oily or greasy and it’s sure to battle off the bugs. It contains only 7% DEET and it’s unscented.

Lastly, Cutter® Backwoods, is ready to protect you from fleas, flies, gnats, ticks, mosquitos, and chiggers for 10 hours too. This spray contains DEET as well. It’s sweat resistant which makes it extremely reliable for prolonged trips outdoors.

Stay outside as long as you like this summer! When the bugs are at their worst, Repel’s® at its best! Have fun at camp this summer and leave the bugs out of the equation.

- John