Hey, Gamers!

Innovation and technology in the video game field have been sweeping the nation since they got their start in the 70’s. From Tetris to Mario, Donkey Kong to Madden NFL, the world of video games has boomed in popularity with advancing possibilities. A leading branch of entertainment, a lot of good can be said about video games and their proficiency in experiential learning—just check out this Ted Talk from gaming expert Jane McGonigal.

Ray Montgomery—founder of Choose Your Own Adventure books said, “experiential learning is the most powerful way for kids, or for anyone, to learn something. It’s not lecturing, it’s experiential—hands-on learning. To a great extent, that’s gaming.” Choose Your Own Adventure books give readers interactivity, multiple-choice, and multiple-endings to make reading less of an academic challenge and more like a game!

Most overnight camps don’t allow video games. But if games are a good thing, why aren’t they allowed at camp?

Summer camp experts Chris Thurber and Jon Malinowski tackle that subject in their informative guidebook, ‘The Summer Camp Handbook’. Kids feel good when they win in a game they like. It boosts self-esteem and gives off a sense of ‘mastery’. Video games give kids control. And control is extremely important to kids who live in a world mostly controlled by adults.

Kids are told where to go, what to do, and how to do it all day long, but not in a video game. There the decisions are up to them. In a video game, YOU shoot the attacking zombies, YOU discover the secret exit, YOU defeat the boss. Video games sharpen skills and strengthen enthusiasm.

Camp, however, is a time to get back to nature. Camp does all the same great stuff of boosting skills and enthusiasm—it just does it among natural settings with the chance to physically participate in activities (not just virtually). As ‘The Summer Camp Handbook’ puts it, “The independence and self-esteem you gain won’t be spoiled by electrical blackouts, computer glitches, or soda pop in the joystick.”

You’re sure to survive a few weeks or even a month or more without video games no matter how much you love them. So look forward to a little hiatus with them and get out and enjoy the natural surroundings that you’ll experience at summer camp and, as always, thanks for reading.

- John

Hey, Camp Fans!

Today is National Log Cabin Day—a reminder of a simpler time when life wasn’t so media-saturated or web-centric. This is a day that encourages people to get away from the incessant beeps and boops of our household appliances and electronic devices and embrace a simpler existence. People have been promoting a simpler lifestyle since our cities grew tall and heavily populated. Here are a few examples of historical figures who sought out a quieter life.

Abraham Lincoln
Our nation’s 16th president was born and raised in a log cabin. Though his family moved around a lot, they went from log cabin to log cabin for nearly the first two decades of Abe’s life. You can get a much more detailed account of Lincoln’s travel from home to home with his family right here.

Henry David Thoreau
His most famous and celebrated essay, ‘Walden’ begins, “When I wrote the following pages, or rather the bulk of them, I lived alone, in the woods, a mile from any neighbor, in a house which I had built myself, on the shore of Walden Pond…” This ‘house’ that he speaks of was a tiny log cabin that even the humble Ralph Waldo Emerson—a friend of Thoreau’s whose land he used to build the cabin—commented on it that it looked “too small to eat in!”

Aldo Leopold
Abraham Lincoln and Henry David Thoreau lived around the same time—born within the same eight years, their lives spanned decades and decades of the 1800s. Born a few years after the death of Thoreau, Aldo Leopold carried on the conservationist torch. As cities grew bigger and denser, Leopold recognized that it was not the lifestyle for him. Instead of accepting societal life, he took his wife and five children to the wilderness of Madison, WI and built a cabin.

Log cabins that Lincoln or Thoreau ever lived in are no longer standing, but you can still visit the cabin that squeezed a family of seven in the 1930s. I’ve been inside Mr. Leopold’s cabin which is an unforgettable experience. Set up your own visit with the Aldo Leopold Foundation and check out his famous writings in ‘A Sand County Almanac’ which covers humankind and our relationship with nature.

Maybe you’ll get to enjoy life in a log cabin throughout your stay at summer camp! And as always, thanks for reading.

- John

Hey, Swimmers!

Who doesn’t love a refreshing and exhilarating splash into the wet world of WATER?! You’re sure to get lots of time in the water during your summer camp stay. Swimming is the most popular activity at summer camp and since most boys and girls are like magnets to pools, I thought we’d celebrate National Swim a Lap Day on our Blog.

Obvious advocates of camp, we here at Everything Summer Camp recognize and understand the importance of swimming for summer campers all across the board. More than just a, invigorating, cool treat on a hot day—swimming is fun, it’s developmental, it’s social, and it certainly is EXERCISE!

That’s right! Swimming is just as physically taxing as it is fun—especially if you’re trying to improve upon your skills. A couple months ago, I posted a tips and advice series about proper fitness exercises in preparation for the rigors of summer camp. The final installment of the series gave great exercises to try for swimming.

lAnother way to spot our understanding of your love to swim is by the slew of swimwear and other accessories that we offer on our site. Dominated by Speedo, we’re proud to order such a quality selection for all your swimming needs.

Speedo uses advanced materials and designs which have been exclusively developed by themselves, giving their customers—and ours too—the freedom and speed that they need. It doesn’t matter if you’re just learning to swim or training for the Olympics, our selection of Speedo products can help you! We’ve got everything from swimming trunks and swimsuits to watershoes and goggles, and so much more.

Shop our site and exercise with our fitness tips to maximize your fun in the water this summer and, as always, thanks for reading, Camp Fans!

- John

Hey, Fishy Folks!

If you love fishing then you’re sure to love today! It’s National Go Fishing Day! Meant to be spent fishing and nothing else, today encourages everybody to pack up your poles and tackle box and spend the day casting your line out into the water. Fishing may reap the reputation of a ‘boring sport’, but when you’re out there all day, some pretty wild things are liable to happen.

Read on to learn some pretty interesting stuff about the world of fishing. Whether you’ve never been fishing before or you’re a seasoned a-FISH-ionado, you’re sure to find these facts on fish rather fantastic.

Tastiest Fish
Our first fun fact comes from delicious fish—people find fish delectable the world over.  Somewhere in our 7000 taste buds, we’ve really developed a taste for fish. But did you know that most fish wear their taste buds all over their bodies? That means they can taste things just by coming into contact with it. I’m pretty happy with the location of my 7000 taste buds being on my tongue, but catfish make me jealous, boasting 27,000 taste buds!

Fastest fish
It was never an easy thing to tell how fast certain fish can swim until some fishermen conjured up a simple method. Here’s how it works: when you get a bite on your line and the fish takes off, measure how much of your line comes off the spool in a certain amount of seconds. Some elementary mathematics will calculate the speed of the fish. The fastest fish ever in the world is the sailfish which took 300 feet of line within three seconds. It swims at 68 mph. That’s one fast fish!
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Largest Fish
The largest freshwater fish, the Mekong giant catfish, measured in at 646 lbs. and nine feet in length. That’s roughly the size of a fully-grown grizzly bear! That’s a big fish. But that’s nothing when considering the biggest fish ever caught including saltwater—a 3,427 pounder! It was a Great White Shark. The inspiration for Captain Quint from ‘Jaws’, one Captain Frank Mundus is responsible for reeling in the shark—the largest fish to ever be caught by rod and reel!

So, you see, fishing may have plenty of downtime, but when the other shoe drops, it can make for a pretty wild time! Get out there and catch the biggest fish you’ve ever caught and, as always, thanks for reading.

- John

Protected Citizens,

Today, we remember the heroes who lost their lives while on duty as officials of law enforcement. Today is National Police Officer Day, the official day of observation within National Police Week—is also sometimes referred to as National Peace Officer Week to be inclusive of all law enforcement officials.

Sworn to protect and to serve us, police officers put their lives on the line in order to maintain public order and put a stop to crimes. They hold authority to arrest and detain deviant individuals in order to uphold public safety. Unfortunately, just in performing the duties of their jobs, some policemen and policewomen end up paying the ultimate price.

Whether you knew them or not, today is a day to remember those who were killed. There are many ways that communities and individuals can demonstrate their remembrance. Here are a few ideas on how you can play a role in memorializing those who have fallen in the line of duty.

Observe a Moment of Silence.
Setting a little time aside during the school day or even just alone in your room can be very helpful to all participants. With silence comes peace.

Fly the Flag at Half-Staff.
Flags are flown at half-staff to commemorate the deaths of ranking officers.

See the Names of the Victims.
You can see a list of the names of the officers who lost their lives in the last year if that's something you'd like to look into. This is a difficult list on which to focus, but it’s important that these names are remembered.

Honoring the Heroes.
The bravery of the men and women who risk their lives to uphold the peace and safety that we enjoy everyday will never be forgotten as our heroes are honored and loved ones remembered on this day of observance.

National Police Week sees a number of events in Washington D.C. every year like the annual Blue Mass Candlelight Vigil, a Wreath-Laying Ceremony, the National Police Survivors Conference, the Honor Guard Competition, as well as the Emerald Society & Pipe Band March/Service. There are 25,000 to 40,000 law enforcement officers and their families take part in these events every year.

Honor the fallen officers in whatever way you can today and, as always, thank you for reading.

- John