Hey, Puzzle People!

A great way to pass the time on a chilly day in January, people absolutely LOVE their jigsaw puzzles. That’s why today is National Puzzle Day. Originally designed as educational tools, puzzles were first made in the 1760’s by a mapmaker from London, named John Spilsbury. He discovered his invention one day when he placed a map on a sheet of wood and cut out pieces of the countries.

He immediately recognized the usefulness this could have for means of education.

It didn’t take schools very long to catch on to the genius of teaching children their geography by having them put together puzzles. It wasn’t until sometime in the 1820’s that puzzles left the classroom and developed a new style of market. New cardboard puzzles offered a cheap means of entertainment during the depression and gained great popularity.

But even more than an educational tool for geography or a cheap means of entertainment, puzzles are good for the mind and good for the body—a seriously healthy pastime.

When engaged in a puzzle, our brains fall into certain patterns that increase our concentration, expand our creativity, make us more alert, reduce stress, lower our heart rate, lower our breathing rate, and strengthen our visual acuity as well as our pattern recognition…WOW!

It sounds like doing puzzles is just as important as exercising!—like jogging for your mind! What better day to pull out a fun, engaging puzzle and put your mind to work on it.

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Yes, puzzles are indeed a healthy option for leisure-time activities. Check out jigsaw puzzle retailers like Puzzle Warehouse to find the best in quality and excellent range of puzzle pictures. Find a favorite of your own and order it in celebration of National Puzzle Day.

If you just can’t wait and have to do a puzzle right this minute, visit jigsawplanet.com for some online puzzle-fun! Enjoy doing your puzzles today, as always, thanks for reading!

- John

Hey, Lexicon Lovers!

Boast your blooming vocabularies with us today as it’s National Thesaurus Day. What better way to flex your lexis than by referring to the handiest reference book since the Dictionary? Peter Mark Roget published the first modern Thesaurus in 1852, 46 years after Noah Webster came out with his Dictionary.

Peter Roget—as in ‘Roget’s Thesaurus’—was born this day 236 years ago in 1779. His painstaking publication of wordlists categorized by synonyms has proven extremely useful throughout the years. Never having been out of print, it’s still in largely popular use today. I have one sitting on my desk, in fact, as I currently write this Blog post.

Maybe not everyone owns their own Thesaurus, but the folks at Dicitonary.com felt compelled to share a free thesaurus online as well (Thesaurus.com). Extremely helpful, visit Dictionary/Thesaurus.com to strengthen and assist your own writing!

There’s never just one way to convey a story, an idea, or even just a single sentence. Showing a knack for finding the precise words that perfectly convey your thoughts and stories is what good writing is all about. Using a Thesaurus is a great way to expand your vocabulary and sharpen your writing skills.

Just as Native American tribes all spoke different languages and celebrated different cultures all across the land, summer camps have different names for their amenities and activities. Luckily there are lots of words that have similar meanings all throughout our language. Here’s some fun with synonyms and words associated with summer camp:

GEAR, n.
Lots of people call the stuff that they bring along camping with them their ‘gear’. While they may be more popular in other fields or activities, the following words would work just as well…You could say:
accoutrements, apparatus, equipment, kit, supplies, tackle, and trappings

CABIN, n.
Summer camps all use their own different names for their campers’ sleeping quarters. You might hear ‘cabin’ or you might here any one of the following terms:
bunks, dorms, huts, lodges, teepees, tents, and yurts

INDEPENDENCE, n.
Spending time away from home, away from your parents, is a big step toward becoming a more independent person. You can express the growth promoted by summer camp with any of these words:
autonomy, freedom, individualism, maturity, personal growth, self-betterment, self-reliance, and self-sufficiency

FRIEND, n.
They all have different names (and nicknames that you might have given them), but here are some other words you can use to refer to a friend:
acquaintance, ally, buddy, chum, comrade, companion, boon companion, pal, partner, and playmate

Using synonyms to substitute other words makes writing (and reading) great fun—for instance, you could say:

“My summer camp stay is sure to be fun.”

Or you could say:

“My summer camp trip is bound to be a blast!”

Or you could say:

“My summer camp excursion is likely to be a rollicking good time!”

Next time you’re writing about your camp experiences, whether it’s in a letter home, a personal journal/diary, a submission to Everything Summer Camp, or a school project, use a Thesaurus to boost your vocabulary and turn your words into a masterpiece.

- John

fun, n. amusement, diversion, entertainment, hobby, jollity, recreation, romp, tomfoolery

Hey, Sleepyheads!

You know the phrase, ‘You Snooze; You Lose’? Well, you know what you’re more likely to lose if you AREN’T snoozing?—a good night’s sleep! Obviously, not getting a sufficient night of sleep can be extremely detrimental to your ability to function the next day. In honor of today—the Festival of Sleep—let’s sharpen our understanding of the many ways sleep helps us out.

Here are five different things a night of good sleep can do for us:

Helps You Remember
Give your memory a boost with some good sleep! Be sure to study before your big test the next day, but—just as important—be sure to get a full night of rest too! Whatever it is you’re studying for, you’ll be able to remember it better after you get a good night’s sleep!

Improves Athleticism
Sleep is proven to improve average sprint time, increase stamina, and decrease fatigue throughout the day. A Stanford University study on their football players saw that those who slept at least 10 hours a night for seven to eight weeks resulted in athletic improvements.

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Helps Your Body Lose Weight
Another study was done on people who were dieting. Half of the group was well rested and the other half was sleep deprived. They lost similar amounts of weight no matter how they slept, but those who were better rested lost fat while the others just lost muscle mass.

Helps You Avoid Feelin’ Blue
People tend to be irritable the day after a bad night of sleep. When night after night of poor sleep compounds and accumulates, it can definitely contribute to an unhealthy mind. Poor sleep habits can certainly contribute to depression. Stay emotionally stable with long nights of solid sleep.

Makes You a Better Driver
It was reported in 2009 by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration that sleepy drivers made up the vast majority of fatal car crashes. Getting enough sleep makes you a more alert and reactive driver.

Be sure to hit the snooze when you need some extra sleep and enjoy a good nap today in celebration of the Festival of Sleep. As always, thanks…for…*yawn*…reading.

- John

Proud Americans,

Today is the 74th anniversary of the surprise attack that occurred on Pearl Harbor back in 1941. A very tragic day, we remember it to honor the 2,403 victims who were killed that day. Carried out by Japanese bombers, the attack on Pearl Harbor was the first battle of World War II, which thrust the United States into involvement.

The main naval base that held the majority of the US warships, Pearl Harbor was targeted in order for the Japanese to attain rule over the Pacific. Since their only competition was the US Navy, it made Pearl Harbor an obvious mark.

The Japanese intended on destroying the US Navy, giving themselves the freedom they would need in becoming a superpower alongside Germany. However, though much damage was done at Pearl Harbor, the US Navy was not destroyed and no air craft carriers were there at the time of the attack.

Named The Greatest Generation, much praise has always been sung for the citizens and soldiers who lived in the time of World War II. My grandfather fought in the service as a Navigator as well as Bombardier. With his recent passing a couple months ago, my family’s hearts are still heavy with the loss.

Having lived a long, full life, Joseph Stauber was wed to the love of his life after the war, Claire Heintz. He built his own house where, together, they raised five children who all eventually went on to marry and start their own families. One of them—my mother—ended up marrying the boy next door and raising a family in that house; so it came to be that I grew up living next-door to my grandfather and we developed a close connection.

He was a great man.

As we move into the holiday season to celebrate our beliefs and traditions, let us all acknowledge our appreciation of those who protected our country in order for us to keep alive our religious and celebratory freedoms. Keep these freedoms in mind today in remembrance of Pearl Harbor and, as always, thanks for reading.

- John

Hey, Black Friday Fans!

In the last decade or so, Thanksgiving has taken on more traditions than our typical feasts that take all day to prep, the Macy’s Day Parade, and a football game on TV. As Black Friday continues to push stores’ opening hours earlier and earlier, the shopping experience is overlapping with Thanksgiving evening, creating what some refer to as ‘Grey Thursday’.

Lazy Thanksgiving evenings are now designated time to prepare yourself: peruse those ads and map out your route so you’ll be ready to embark on a carefully strategized night of shopping. So what are some of the traditions people have started after the leftovers get put away?

Vice President of Everything Summer Camp, Mark, and his wife, Mandy, love going out on this night to find ridiculous deals and hit up their favorite stores. To keep the tradition, they always start the night with the same store first every year.

Some folks are so into their Black Friday-ing that they skip the customary Thanksgiving meal altogether in order to dedicate all their energy to shopping instead. Many of these people will break from their epic shopping excursions at some point in the night to get a traditional bite to eat. McDonald’s is a popular stop because it’s fast and gets them right back to the shopping!

Movies are also becoming a popular attraction for Black Friday participants. It’s become a tradition for Keisha, our receptionist, and a group of her friends to partake in a break from the shopping frenzy by taking in a fun flick.

And while some people plan routes to raid all the local stores around their area, others are driving long distances to a mall that has a little more to offer than what local malls will. Famous malls that boast their size, location, and store variety, are like magnets for some folks on Black Friday!

Whatever your Black Friday traditions are feel free to share them with us right here! We hope you have a fun, safe shopping experience. And be sure to take advantage of all the awesome deals you can find on our site from now through to December 1. As always, thanks for reading!

- John