Hey, Camp Fans!

February is the month in which we celebrate President’s Day—this holiday landed on the 15th. The day was conceived as a way to combine both presidential birthdays that fall in February: Abraham Lincoln’s and George Washington’s. I posted about Abraham Lincoln on his birthday earlier this month. Today is George Washington’s birthday, or the day we celebrate, anyway.

Why don’t we celebrate on Washington’s actual birthday? Well, he was born on February 11, 1731—as it fell on the Julian calendar. However, the colonies switched to the Gregorian calendar (the one we all know and love today) which displaced his birthday to February 22. The date of New Year’s Day shifted as well, changing his birthday to February 22, 1732.

Washington was one hard-hitting president—the kind of leader America needed to stand up to the British and take our independence! Yes, General Washington certainly fought the good fight and won. He did it all in the face of adversity too. He had a number of health problems—not to mention, he saw his fair share of the action. Check out a few of the things he was up against:

1.) He didn’t have wooden teeth as many people believe. He did, however, have some pretty horrible dental issues. Dealing with the terrible pain of incessant toothaches starting in his mid-20s, Washington started having his teeth pulled and started losing about a tooth per year.

By the time he was 57, he had just one, lonely tooth left in his head which was eventually pulled and led him to the need for dentures. Dental health is extremely important to overall health and specifically linked to the condition of a person’s heart. Brush your teeth, kids!

2.) He was the sickest president in the history of the White House. Poor George got hit with a slew of illnesses that left him bedridden. He was sick with diphtheria, tuberculosis, smallpox, dysentery, malaria, something similar to tonsillitis, carbuncle, pneumonia, and epiglottitis. Luckily, modern day vaccines have eliminated most of these illnesses for us, but Washington was not so lucky.

3.) Probably one of his most serious brushes with mortal danger happened when he was 23 and seemingly haunted him till the end of his days. Aide to the British General who was leading an expedition against the French in Pennsylvania at the time, Washington was so ill he was ordered to stay behind. He followed anyway, tying pillows to his saddle to reduce the pain of traveling.

That day, Washington found himself in a battle that neither he, nor the troop he was with were ready for. And despite his hat getting shot off and four bullets tearing through his coat, Washington came away from the battle unharmed, leading the 40-mile retreat. He did, however, suffered continuous attacks of fever and dysentery for the rest of that year—sicknesses from which he never fully healed.Whether you celebrate Presidents’ Day or Washington’s birthday, be sure to look into the very interesting and very amazing life of Mr. Washington. We can all learn a lesson or two from our nation’s first president and founding father. And, as always, thanks for reading.

- John

Hey, Blog Buddies!

Today is February 12. It was 206 years ago today that the 16th president of the United States was born in a little town called Hodgenville, Kentucky. There’s a lot that we know about this former president from a much earlier time in our nation’s life. Pretty much everybody knows that his picture is on the penny, that he abolished slavery, or that he was an avid (and skilled) wrestler in his youth.

In observance of his birthday, however, I’d like to tell you three things that not a lot of people know about Mr. Abraham Lincoln.

1.) We all get away with calling him Honest Abe today, but if he ever caught any of us referring to him using that name, he would have put us in an arm bar (the good wrestler that he was). Well, maybe he’d go easier than that, but truth be told, he did not appreciate ‘Abe’ as a nickname.

2.) He was crazy about cats! Absolutely obsessed with them, Lincoln had an affinity with all animals, but cats above all. He was fascinated by felines and while he was in office, the official cat of the White House was named Tabby.

3.) Maybe you already knew that Lincoln was the first president to wear a beard. But did you know that he grew it at the request of an 11-year-old girl named Grace Bedell who wrote him during his campaign for presidency?

“…if you let your whiskers grow I will try and get the rest of [my brothers] to vote for you,” she tells him. “You would look a great deal better for your face is so thin. All the ladies like whiskers and they would tease their husbands to vote for you and then you would be President.” Lincoln wrote the girl back and promptly began growing out his now-iconic beard.

I guess it just goes to show that sometimes the best advice comes from sources that you’d least expect! Happy, birthday Abe…err…I mean, Mr. Lincoln! And, as always, thanks for reading, camp fans!

- John

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