Podcast Episode Archives - There's No Place Like Summer Camp

The summer camp shirt is a rocking piece of gear that anyone at summer camp owns. In this episode, we discuss the things that go into making the best summer camp shirt. Each summer camp, every year will want to give this episode a listen!

Hello everyone and welcome to There’s No Place Like Summer Camp. I’m your host, Andrew Waterhouse. And in this episode, we’re talking about what makes a good camp T-shirts. So come on into our tent and I’ll spill the beans

We’re back again with another episode on a Tuesday keeping up that streak. And yeah, in this week’s episode, we’re looking at what makes a good camp t-shirt. So let’s hop straight in.

In the couple of years that I’ve been doing Camp America, I’ve got a fair few shirts to boots. Not only do you get the shirts from Camp America themselves with the logo emblazoned proudly on the front, you also get the shirts from camp. And typically you’re going to get one per year. And you might also get an extra bonus one depending on what happens during that year. So let’s go through the top things that will make a really good camp t-shirt.

And first of all, is going to be the year. The year is a really important part of any camp t shirt.

It shows how long you’ve been at a camp. At least when I have been at my camps, I found that people really proudly wear their old shirts like to show that they’ve been there for so long. And they’ve like been through the hard times. They’ve been there through all the travesty. And all the banter that’s happened in previous years they were there for all those stories. So you want to make sure that your camp has a year, at least somewhere on it. Typically these are going to be found on the back of the shirt. So everyone can see like proudly like in a big two-digit format what year you went to camp for.

The second point is the name of the camp. This goes without saying obviously you want your shirt to proudly say which camp you’re from.

Whether this will be on the front or the back is quite up for debate. Personally on our camp shirts, it was on the front if I remember rightly, it might have been on the back to thinking about it…

But there’s there can be no better place than a camp t-shirt proudly show which camp you’re from and what actually your shirts represent and all the stories that have because as soon as I say I’ve walked past someone in the UK that’s wearing a camp, a summer camp t-shirt, which let’s be honest, there really never happens. I don’t think I’ve seen it once happen. I would look at them and go, Whoa, you’re gonna have the same sort of stories that I did. And that’s kind of a similar thing when you’re in America say when people would be wearing them.

Yeah, I think a name is a really obvious thing that needs to be going on a shirt. I have a little story about camo shirts as well because I remember in my first year of actually going into camp and this is all covered in the There’s No Place Like Summer Camp book, by the way. I was at the airport in Newark, which is New York. It’s I think it’s the alternative to the JFK there’s like two different airports. Anyway, I’m going on a tangent… so I was at Newark. And it really surprised me to see how many people were walking through the terminals with summer camp T-shirts on and typically these would be the Camp America’s, the Camp Leaders sort of shirts, they weren’t typically the shirts you get directly from the camp, but they were there. And it just goes to show, like in the right place people wear these shirts as often as they can.

Especially when you’re going to be travelling around America after you’ll proudly wear your summer camp T-shirts. It’s not like they’re an embarrassment or anything and the only reason that I don’t think that people really wear them in the UK is that in my case at least if you have some sort of shrine for your shirts, I’ll try and make sure to upload my shrine onto my website, see podcast-bits. I actually have my T-shirt from summer camp framed and with photos of the guys that I used to go to summer camp with to remember like that was that actually happened always be grateful for doing Camp America and stuff. So I think that’s part of the reason why they don’t really get worn out and about because you don’t want to get that normal wear and tear. And you don’t really want to be adding stains on top of the lovingly created stains from being a camp kind of thing. So yeah, every t shirt can be unique and if you start wearing it outside, well that’s your own decision.

Personally, I have a shrine dedicated for mine. Okay, so the third point out of five here for a good camp t-shirt is its distinctiveness. So I went to Camp twice, and my two camp T-shirts are very, very similar. Rather than being a change of colour from a blue shirt to a red, and the numbers 2014 change to 2015, there really isn’t much change between the two shirts, which during my second year, I found a bit disappointing really. I thought, I’d get a bit of a change of font, a change of design in general, it didn’t really happen for me personally. So having a bit of distinctiveness between the two years or even like the year, year to year basis, they should really be quite distinctive, whether that be a change your font, a change of image.

Obviously, you’re going to have the change of the year, the change of the layout as well, there are so many things that can be done with the shirt. So I think for my second camp, my second-year camp shirt was actually slightly comfier compared to the first show because already, I already kind of had it. So I think distinctiveness is definitely going to be something that people are going to be looking forward to on their shirts. And speaking of shirts, these shirts will apply to staff, obviously, the counsellors, the specialists, as we call them in our camp, but also the campers as well. A lot of the campers like to go and buy these after camp has finished. Typically around camp, it’s just going to be the staff that are going to be wearing these shirts just to like kind of create that little bit of a divide, showing parents that they’re coming to your camp and we’re here to serve kind of thing. I think that’s the main reason for shirts, but some camps do sell them to their campers as well. So yeah.

Okay, so what makes some other good shirts are to do with how it’s announced.  You become accustomed to announcements at camp, and they are really like I wouldn’t say stereotype, the kind of stereotypical like, yeah, we’re at summer camp, but I wouldn’t say they’re actually like, they can be cringy. But they can that’s like part of the charm kind of thing. So I’m not exactly slating the announcements that are made at camp. But there can be plenty of fun announcements around particularly shirts, for example, color war being one.

Maybe trips as well that the campers would go on, you get these fun, quirky announcement types how you received your shirt. I remember how I got both of my two shirts from summer camp were from going in for the presentation for the end of the staff week we had and then at the end of the staff week saying congratulations and all that stuff. They said hey, you go here’s your shirts. Welcome to our camp! And I was like, oh, yeah, now I’ve been up now I’m a part of the clan.

Like, I’ve been hanging around with these guys for like a couple of weeks and have finally been like indoctrinated into their summer camps. I felt like I’d been passed the test kind of thing. And I think that’s kind of what a camp t-shirt kind of represents as well is that you’ve, you’ve made it your staff member, let’s crack on with camp. So I think part of how it’s announced is a big part of actually what makes a good summer camp shirt.

So finally here we have the image and the stories behind summer camp shirts, because summer camp shirts aren’t just a thing that camp like to do. They’re also a thing that the staff members like to create off their own backs. Pardon the pun. So if there’s a really fun story of this year so exact for example, in one of my camps is actually the first year I did it. Here’s some backstory now. I was the Outdoor Living Specialist at my camp and what we did was set up campfires, smalls and tents. And we’d just take the kids away for like a couple of days and stay in a different campsite than they’re normally used to going on hikes and canoe trips and you know, having a ripe old blast playing in the rivers getting in touch with nature and it was really cool. But one of these campouts that we did was absolutely pissing it down. And the tents ended up having puddles of water inside and they were all flooded. So they had to use their towels to try and get rid of this flood.

Anyway. So me and my co, we left these kids so that they were fully like supervised and stuff, but it wasn’t part of our role to actually stay with these groups. So we left, we went back to camp and then later on the next day, we found out that these campers and their counsellors were faced with another thunderstorm again later on after we left, which meant their whole tents were soaked and puddled and flooded. No one got any sleep. And they had no towels to dry them up with. And that made it onto a camp t-shirt because of how rememberable of a bad campout it was, it was no nothing to do with like me or mocking me, or my co doing anything wrong. It was more Mother Nature at its work. And they came over to us when we were having our dinner one day and they were like, oh my God hate you! In like, really, really funny way because they knew that it wasn’t our fault. But that was kind of that story of like, oh my god, did you survive that? And just seeing the tents when they came back.

But it was really like clear to see that they had endured something that was beyond imagination. So they created their own shirt. And they came back to us in like two weeks’ time when everyone had one of these shirts that said I survived blah blah blah campout 2014, and it kind of made me a part of that lore. So that was like a famous point of this particular year at my summer camp. So it was really cool to see and having some sort of imagery on the front of the shirt, perhaps the back and having a bit of story behind why the summer camp has by the way the t-shirt has been created. Or even like how the summer camp has come to be something perhaps particularly memorable about that particular year. It all adds up to make a really good camp t-shirt.

Okay, so we’ve come to the end of this one guys another episode down another Tuesday gone. I’m smashing these out of the park. I hope you really enjoying these on your podcast platform of choice. In the next episode, we are looking at how to choose a camp to work for so we’re slightly tilting the dial over to a bit more serious questions that maybe new people might be looking for.

While I’m just finishing up here, I’d like to make a quick plug for the website, theresnoplacelikesummercamp.com. There you’re also able to become a sponsor of the podcast. So if you’re if you think that you’ve been enjoying this episode, you’ve enjoyed all the podcasts so far, you’d be able to donate some dollars over to my little project and just to try and like you know, support me in creating all this content and stuff because I am really passionate about it. And hope I’m really providing something that’s fresh new entertaining into the summer camp podcast space.

Okay, guys, I’ll see you in the next episode. I hope you have a good week ahead. And I’ll see you next Tuesday.

There’s No Place Like Summer Camp is available now as a travel memoir book on Amazon! Check it out! 

There are plenty of things that every summer camp will have. In this episode, with a bit of tongue in cheek, we go over the things you’ll find while volunteering with Camp America, 100%.

Arrival of campers at summer camp is a day to behold. In this episode, we cover the best ways to welcome them!

Hi guys and girls. In this week’s blog we discuss the top things that happen at every summer camp. I’m not talking drama, I’m talking down to earth summer camp fun. So let’s kick it off.

Every camp has their one big event that the campers go absolutely nuts for. It may not have the same name as colour war, but its the same premise. The campers divide in to teams for a period of days where they compete in a variety of sports and challenges for points. At the end, the winner is crowned and a huge colour war is the perfect send off for it! The kids and staff will remember these for years to come when harking back to how good summer camp was.

It’s strange that plenty of the best memories from camp are from outside the bubble. But it’s true! You’ll have such a blast going to cinema trips, bowling, shopping and even theme parks all for free with your campers. And I can bet you there will plenty of time for you staff to get out there and let your hair down!

There will be people that come in and do one or two things foer the camp for one day and then disappear for eternity. It’s strange, but it makes camp so much more wholesome. Whether they be there to teach you something or for entertainment, these guys and girls of America make camp complete. All of the camps have them, so keep an eye out.

This is a tongue in cheek comment but all camps will have ‘celebrities’ that… just aren’t celebrities! They will hype them up way too much and you try to Google them and nothing is returned. Sure, there may be a couple of camps that have big AAA stars, but these are few and far between.

I hope you enjoyed this one. I’m sorry that it was shorter than usual.

In next week, we go over the best ways you can welcome campers to your cabin. So counsellors, I’m looking at you!

I’ll see you Tuesday,

Same time,

Same place,

A.

Coming up this week we take a look at the drama that’s bound to happen at every camp. If you enjoy the blogs, why not check lout the YouTube channel and Podcast, available on iTunes and other platforms. Alright, lets dive right in.

Mid way through this blog post, I’m plugging my upcoming book. It’s called There’s No Place Like Summer Camp and is the story of how I did at my first year of working with Camp America. It’s such a laugh while it goes through the ups and downs of solo travelling for the first time. It’ll be out later in the year available on Amazon and other good retailers. Check out the pre-orders here: shop.andrewwaterhouse.com 

Alrighty! that brings to close another week of blogging. Next week things we go through the things guaranteed to happen at every camp in America. It’s less of the drama and more of the camp.

Once again, if you enjoyed this episode please check out the YouTube channel and iTunes podcast.

I’ll see you Tuesday,

A.

In previous blog posts, all too often I go on about ‘the summer camp bubble’. What does it mean? And what happens inside of it? Well, in this blog post we are going through what its like being cut off from the outside world when working at summer camp.

First off, your phone is on you all the time. And by that, I mean more than usual (somehow!). You’ll be taking the gadget everywhere you go, just to try and get that smidge of signal in that one place camp has it. It’s also your go-to for telling the time, even when you have a perfectly working watch strapped to your wrist. And photos. You’ll be wanting to snap everything that made your summer camp so special.

Second, there’s the internet situation. A lot of camps don’t really have an internet signal to the outside world. Meaning, all those facebook updates, Twitter tweets and Insta likes are gone for the months you are in the bubble. Fear not. While I was at my summer camp, I came to realise that I didn’t miss the internet as much as I depend upon it outside the bubble. I could check it a few times a week and be caught up on the big things. Its somewhat of a detox going into the bubble, making you realise that friends and experiences mean so much more than the shallow world of social networks.

News was a bit of a weird one for me while working at summer camp. All the news that crept in through the bubble was somehow bigger and more dramatic than I would have taken it out in the big wide world. I’m not sure why, I guess its because you just get to see a brief passing headline without seeing how the news dies down. Perhaps it was just me, but that disconnection to the wider problems in the world was a little unnerving.

Speaking of the news, there is a far more pressing news agenda inside the bubble.

“Oh my god, what!? Kristy got with Mark?! But Mark’s with Sophie? How’s she gonna react when she was cheating on him with Kristy?!”

and

“Hey, you heard what happened to Craig?”

“I heard he had a row with one of his campers, I ain’t seen him for a while thinking about it.”

“Dude, he’s been fired. I just saw him being marched out. Apparently he hit a kid?”

Later on

“Hey, you hear about Craig? I heard he killed a kid…”

It’s easy to get swept up in the news being the gates of a summer camp. It happens at all of them, all of the time. It goes to show how much of a bond you make with the people inside camp. They do become your second family, caring for every single one of the faces you will see non-stop for the few weeks you are there.

I hope that gives a little insight of what its like being stuck inside the best place on earth.

In the next episode, we are going over the drama bound to happen at camp. Should be a goodun.

See you Tuesday,

A.

There are some school boy errors that you need to be made aware of when entering the realm of American Summer Camps. Let’s break down the top ten most common and what you can do to avoid them.

That wraps up yet another blog about all things summer camp. If you enjoyed, please check out the YouTube channel and podcast available on iTunes and other podcast places.

In next week’s episode? We’re going over what its like being so cut off from the outside world. I hope to see you then.

A.

Volunteering for summer camp can be quite scary. So I’m here this week to go over the steps to take to get your butt over there. Don’t be quitting on me now!

I hope you enjoyed this overview of what steps you need to take to apply at summer camp. It’s such a blast to be a volunteer over there so please do enjoy ytourselves and take this application seriously. It’ll make or break some of the best memories you’ll ever have.

Anyway, in the next week we are taking the leap into the summer camp bubble. For all the blog posts prior are about preparing for summer camp. Now we are balls-deep. So sit back with a brew and enjoy my musings on the subject of ‘The biggest mistakes you can make while at camp’.

If you enjoyed this, please check out the podcast! It’s available on iTunes – There’s No Place Like Summer Camp and it’s also available on YouTube here too.

I’ll see you then,

A.

Before I begin, I have to mention the rules that I stand by. And those I don’t mention in this post, I also stand by 100%.

Smoking and alcohol. It’s up to your camp on how they handle this.

Poor performance: Camp are trusting you to do a good job, so make sure you do a good one! Treat this like a job and not a holiday, and you should be fine.

Drugs: Of course this isn’t allowed in camp or out of it. So if you get caught, you can expect your ass on the next flight home.

Abuse: Goes without saying. Either abuse to the kids or any staff members. Like come on, we’re all here to have a good time.

Child protection: Again, goes without saying. The parents are entrusting you with their kid for the summer. So treat them right!

On to the juicy stuff.

Late nights: Each camp will have their own rules and curfew times. But I for one am a night-owl. And boy does it pay dividends if you stay up a little later. You soak in so much more from camp, catching up with all your buddies that you no longer see. You will make such extraordinary relationships with friends that you want to spend every minute with them. So stay up late, because in a few months they will be in their home country.

Phone use: I recommend keeping your phone on you at all times. It helps you keep organised. Whether that be what time it is, when the next event is or just being safe. It also helps for you to capture memories while you live in the summer camp bubble. So capture photos, but don’t go overboard and let the kids see the phone out all the time.

Adding campers on social media: Perhaps a sensitive issue to some. But for those who have been to camp, I’m sure 99% of them have added at least one of their favourite campers to their social media pages. After camp, you just want to know how they are getting on.

Drinks away from camp: Its good to unwind because working at summer camp is by far the hardest job I’ve had. You’ll have a few evenings and days off to spend outside of the camp bubble. And I’d say its a great way to relax. Have a pint or two with your meal or something. Just make sure you don’t come back to camp drunk or hungover. Ibuprofen can be a life saver.

Hook ups: Goes without saying.

Anyway, that wraps up another episode. I hope you enjoyed.

In the next week, we are going over the steps to take to get yo’ ass over to summer camp. I’m sure it will be a good read for those of you who really want to apply now. If you enjoyed this blog post, why not check out the YouTube channel? It hosts all of this and more, in video format! More of a listener? How about the podcast. There’s No Place Like Summer Camp is available on iTunes here.

I’ll see you in a week!

A.

There are plenty of jobs at camp that summer camps are dying to hire for. So let’s go through the list of the most desired jobs and see how your camp matches up.

Of course, first off its counsellors… All camps have them to some extent. Their job? It’s basically to escort the kids around camp, making sure they attend all of their activities, get up in time, stay clean, eat… The list goes on and on. Counsellors will be worked off their feet 24/7 but by the end of it, will have some really special relationships with their campers.

The lifeguards are the bread and butter of any summer camp too. And the lifeguards do so much more than just watch the waters too. If you’re qualified, why not shoot for the stars and work in sailing, canoeing or even motor-boating for the summer! Not that kind!

Ropes is up next for one of the most hired jobs for summer camp. Abseiling, wall climbing, Jacobs Ladder. Anything to do with ropes? You’re needed. Can you recall any others from your summer camp I’ve missed?

Horse Riding is a biggie for summer camps that are on the higher end of the spectrum. If you have the passion for it, then go ahead and apply to work with your favourite animals for the summer. You will have a blast while teaching too!

Musicians. The world loves ’em and so does camp. Any singers, pianists or guitarists reading this? How about you get your ass to camp and make us do the hokey-pokey.

Drama. Not the kind that gets you into the latest issue of Hello magazine, but performing arts. Volunteer as one of these bad boys and have the parents to look forward to when they see their kid perform!

Now there are plenty of sports that summer camps have but I had to think of just one that would be at 99% of them. I settled on Tennis. It’s a great outdoorsy sport that all of the summer camps will have. Get out there and whack those balls!

What camp wouldn’t be complete without archery? Campers get to mimic their favourite heroes while you (teaching it) look the bees knees. Throw in some fun games like shooting water balloons and you will have the time of your life.

Magic is one specialty that can be a bit mixed. But if you go to camp to teach it, you can blow the others away! Make sure to tell the kids not to reveal the secrets like you just did though!

And finally, lets finish on a special one. The circus. Now not all camps have these, but damn they can be fun. Those who have had circus at camp, let me know on Twitter!

A special mention has to go out to those who work behind the scenes of camp. All camps have them. Whether they maintain the camp, cook, drive or work in an office. A massive shout-out to you.

That’s it for this one. Next week we are going over the rules to bend at camp. I’m sure it will be juicy.

See you in a week,

A.