Hey, KEEN Kids!

Here at Everything Summer Camp, we love discovering a little about the people behind the businesses with whom we work. And we love sharing those stories with our faithful customers and Blog followers. Among the excellent brands that make up our assorted footwear department, KEEN is the latest. What eventually became known as the Newport Sandal, was invented in 1999 by Martin Keen in Jamestown, Rhode Island.

Within a few more years, the first KEEN sandals and shoes were put into production featuring a protective black toe bumper. The toe guard has since become KEEN’s most iconic element about their footwear—great protection against any surprises your feet may encounter out on the trails, around the waterfront, or any other place. Check out some of the other great features you’ll find in select footwear from our KEEN selection:

KEEN.DRY
Lots of footwear from KEEN has a waterproof and breathable insert that keeps your feet dry for lasting comfort—rain or shine.

ALL-TERRAIN
Traverse any terrain and all terrain with the rubber outsole that’s made to give you high grip-ability traction. No joke!

KEEN.BELLOWS FLEX
Specific to the Big Kid's Ridge Flex Mid Waterproof Hiking Boot, this trail shoe provides increased flexibility and freedom so that little feet don’t have to work too hard to move around!

KEEN isn’t just simply about making shoes. While they love it and it’s a craft they’ve mastered, KEEN knows they’re actual purpose runs deeper than manufacturing footwear. They’re here to make a difference: to make the outside and trades accessible to all. And to clean up the planet while they’re at it. Shop around to check out our selection of KEEN footwear. You’ll be doing your feet a favor! Shop our KEEN selection by clicking right here and, as always, thank for reading!

- John

Hey, Camp Searchers!

On your journey to find the right camp, it can be difficult to know what the next step is after you’ve figured out certain things—things like how far away the camp is, whether it’s coed or not, what kind of structure your kid prefers for their days, and some other things. Your next step after you know those things is to narrow your search by looking at camps on an individual basis.

Where to Start
The absolute first, easiest, and best place to start looking is right at home. Do any family members recommend a camp? Many kids end up going to the same camp their mom or dad attended. Maybe even the same one their grandma or grandpa went to. Maybe your friends with a next-door neighbor whose kids have had the camp experience or maybe your kid knows a friend at school who enjoyed a camp stay.

Whether it’s a grandparent, parent, brother, sister, aunt, uncle, cousin, friend or whatever you’re their relation to you, it’s handy to know someone who has previously gone to overnight camp, that’s the best place to start asking questions and gathering information.

When you know a camp alum, you can find out straight from the source what they liked and disliked about the camp they went to. The camps that older family members attended might still be around (though they may have changed in quality and substance).

Beware of your own biases as a parent. It can be easy to lose sight that the camp you enjoyed so much several decades ago may not meet your child’s needs and interests now. Of course parents want their sons or daughters to have a summer camp experience as good as their own, but you have to research the camp as it is in the current day.  

The entire character or philosophy of a camp can change with a new director or a change in ownership. Just because you enjoyed it all those years ago doesn’t make it a lock for your child. See for yourself by doing some digging.

Make sure to have fun as you move forward in your search and, as always thanks for reading, Camp Folks! Till next time.

- John

Hey, Sports Fans!

Especially those of the home team—Give me an ‘E’! Give me an ‘S’! Give me a ‘C’! What does that stand for? EVERYTHING SUMMER CAMP!!! Cheering for the home team has been a time-honored tradition for more than a hundred years. Chanting mottos and catchy slogans to show loyalty and encouragement from the sidelines is an essential part of spectating sporting events.

This activity offered at many camps can be anything from a chant or rhyme to incredibly skilled and choreographed physical activities or even stunts. Cheer performances are there not just to motivate the team but to entertain the audience as well or for discouragement to the competition.

That’s how it all got started. British students started cheering and chanting in unison for their favorite athletes and team—an activity that only males engaged in. This support from the sidelines slowly made its way overseas and landed in America. And by the 1920s, women started participating in cheers.

It took a little time, but popularity steadily grew among women interested in cheerleading until women in Cheerleading exploded in the 1940s when plenty of the university student men were drafted for the second World War. This gave way for women to begin their takeover of sideline cheers and start developing the idea of cheering into a sport of its own including elements of dance, tumbling, jumping, and stunts.

A 1955 overview for cheerleading explained that in a bigger school, "occasionally boys as well as girls are included". However, by the 1960’s women had completely taken over the activity. Of course, guys are still allowed to join a squad, but nowadays Cheerleading remains a predominantly female activity.

There are currently 116 nations that take membership in the International Cheer Union and more than 7 million individuals the world over who cheer. Cheerleading has really grown in popularity in places like Australia, Canada, Mexico, China, France, Germany, Japan, the United Kingdom, and plenty more.

If you have an interest in embodying team spirit and positive attitude, be sure to look for Cheerleading on the activity lists of the summer camps you check out. Get into the spirit with our Color War Spirit Pack including pom-poms, bandana, whistle, and more. And, as always, thanks for reading, Camp Fans!

- John

Hey, Camp Folks!

Everyone’s favorite time of year is here—Daylight Saving Time. Today we Spring Ahead by setting our clocks forward one hour. By ‘losing’ this hour, the days stay brighter for longer as the year moves on until we Fall Back come the Fall season. If this sorta sounds like an April Fool’s joke that just won’t quit, you’re not alone. Plenty of people scratch their head as to why we still stick to this annoying time-change custom (or how it ever even got started).

There’s actually quite a bit of confusion as to what its original purpose was. Let’s investigate:

Not the Farmers’ Fault
Most people have heard that Daylight Saving time was put in place for farmers. The majority of farmers , however, opposed the time switch as they found it very disruptive. Farmers’ schedules are set by the sun and not the clock. Daylight Saving Time made life harder on a farm since they had earlier shipping schedules to meet for an operation based off the natural cycle. Many farmers tried repealing Daylight Saving in their areas but were unsuccessful.

A Real Whodunit…
So if it wasn’t for the farmers, who was the time switch for? Well, some people thought it was because of an essay written by Benjamin Franklin, but that turned out to be mistaken. One William Willet is credited with the idea as he wanted to encourage people to make use of the plentiful sunlight. Credit is also given to an entomologist (bug expert) named George Vernon Hudson in 1895, who wanted an extra hour of daylight for his studies. While no one knows quite who started Daylight Saving, Germany was the first nation in 1916 to implement the time switch in hopes of conserving electricity.

Daylight Saving: Optional?
Did you know that there are regions—whole states even—right here in the USA that don’t participate in the time change? Arizona as well as Hawaii have opted out of this custom. Plenty of territories like American Samoa, Guam, Puerto Rico, the Virgin Islands, and more simply keep standard time throughout the year. There are also Amish communities across the country who don’t spring ahead or fall back. And plenty of countries (especially those near the equator) don’t adjust their clocks.

So for something that tends to mess with sleep patterns and has been opposed by so many throughout its history, why do we keep with it? That’s a good question—one that I ask twice every year. Laws and legislatures are funny things and they seem to require lots of effort to change. Arizona and Hawaii were able to repeal it, though. It is possible. You may just need to raise a big enough stink about it! In the meantime, remember to set your clocks ahead an hour and, as always, thanks for reading, Folks!

- John

Hey, Camp Fans!

Just last week I put out a Blog post about our latest trail shoes from KEEN—specifically the Targhee Hiking Boot. I told you about their masterful construction with unmatched KEEN technology, comfort, and protection. Get a refresher on the Targhee when you click right here. Take a look at the rest of our KEEN collection!

Hiking Boot
After the Targhee Hiking Boots for kids, women, and men, there’s one more Hiking Boot that we brought on board—the Ridge Flex Mid Waterproof Hiking Boot. These Boots flex easier with KEEN.BELLOWS FLEX, requiring less energy to bend and less wear on the boot.  

Sport Shoe
Get a load of our latest Sport Shoes: the Targhee Sport Vent Shoe for kids, the Voyageur Shoe for men, and the Women's Terradora II Vent Shoe. Made with breathable mesh lining, these Sport Shoes are designed to keep you going when the going gets tough.

Sandal
Then we have incredibly versatile and amphibious hybrid sandals that can go right from being in the water to hiking a trail in no time. The Big Kid's Newport H2 Sandals, Men's Newport H2 Sandal, and Women's Whisper Sandal are all made to dry quickly and grip like mad!

On the lookout for a new pair of shoes? We carry an impressive variety of shoes, sandals, and boots from all different brands like Northside, Merrell, and more. We’ve got essential footwear for summer camp such as water shoes, sport sandals, tennis shoes, horse riding boots, and more!

We have your feet covered for the summer! Browse all of our KEEN footwear when you click right here and you can shop the rest of our footwear selection by clicking here. Enjoy finding the right footwear for you and, as always, thanks for reading, Camp Folks!

- John