Hello and Happy Fourth of July, Camp-Spirited Citizens!

Today in the United States, we celebrate our Independence Day. This annual holiday is referred to as Independence Day and each nation celebrates the specific date when it achieved its freedom. Every country the world over has its own independence day aside from Britain and Scotland since these countries were never under the rule of another government.

We’re pretty familiar with our own celebrations here in the states, but have you ever wondered how other nations across the world celebrate the days that their country achieved self-governing recognition after being under the rule of another colony or state?

Here are just a few examples of other countries independence days and how they celebrate:

Mexico – September 16, 1810
Not May 5^th as so many people believe it to be, Mexico celebrates their freedom from Spain with their president ringing the historic liberty bell the previous night. Then the next day is brimming with traditional parades, dances, bullfights, and more.

India – August 15, 1947
Previously under rule from the British government, India gained its independence soon after World War II ended. Much like our American celebrations, India puts on parades and fireworks shows. They even participate in kite-flying contests.

Barbados – November 30, 1966
The island country of the West Indies, Barbados gained independence from the government of the United Kingdom. In observation of this day, Barbadians prepare their traditional seafood plates and hold art competitions throughout the entire month of their independence.

You can find lots more information about our own American independence from the rule of Britain and how we came to celebrate our Fourth of July customs on this Blog. Start your learning journey by clicking here. Have fun with your traditional celebrations today and, as always, thanks for reading! Happy Fourth, Camp Fans!

- John

Hey, Proud Dads!

Happy Father’s Day! Today is a day set aside to honor the unconditional, loving support that fathers give to their children every day. On Father’s Days past, I’ve given out gift ideas for dear ol’ dad—things that you could either purchase or things that you could make on your own for free with items found around the house. Today, however, I’m talking about some things you can do WITH your father to make his Father’s Day feel a little more special!

Play catch
Your dad will be sure to appreciate the gesture if you ask him to go play a simple game of catch in the backyard. Dads love ‘Catch’! Whether they want to throw a baseball, a football…SCOOPball—it doesn’t matter. You’ll both enjoy the activity in the fresh air and sunshine—not to mention the quality time you get to spend together.

Catch a Movie
My dad was a movie buff for sure! See if your dad wants to throw something in from your home collection or maybe make some time to head out and catch a show at the theater! You can’t beat the big screen (or the popcorn…or the pretzels)!

Get Musical
Does your dad love music? Maybe he plays an instrument! See if he has time to show off his talents and maybe you can even join in for background accompaniment. Whether you are musically gifted or not, it can be a great bonding experience to let the harmonies and vibrations boost your spirits together!

Play a Game
I don’t know about all of your dads, but my dad and I played a zillion games back in the day. He was a Chess junkie and enjoyed a mean game of Trivial Pursuit. We played video games, card games, and dice games—whatever sort of game is up your dad’s alley, see if he’s interested in playing that tonight!

These are just some ideas that will more-than-likely make your father’s Father’s Day today. Or maybe these ideas have inspired you to go spend some quality time with your dad in some other way that the two of you can enjoy. In any case, enjoy the fun with your dad and give him the best Father’s Day you can! Happy Father’s Day to fathers everywhere and, as always, thanks for reading!

- John

Happy Mothers’ Day, Summer Campers!

Today is a day intended to celebrate Mothers all across the world. We honor them this day for their selflessness and unconditional love that they show us. On Mothers’ Days past, I’ve posted on this Blog about the history of this day and I’ve given ideas of what to do to celebrate your love for your mother.

Today, I’m going to give you a few pointers on what NOT to do:

Fight with Your Siblings
Dealing with bickering siblings is probably your mom’s least favorite thing to hear and (unless you have the healthiest relationship in the world with your siblings) chances are you guys bicker often enough. Give it a rest for the day and give your mom some peace!

Track Mud through the House
This point is more-or-less symbolic; while you literally shouldn’t track mud throughout your house, what I’m really getting at is to clean up after yourself. Keeping a clean household is on everybody, so make sure you do your part—especially today!

Show More Attention to your Dad
Of course, Dad’s great! And you certainly don’t have to treat him like chopped liver or anything like that, but this day is about Mom; make sure she knows it! Besides—Dad will get his own day in June.

Insult Your Mother’s Cooking
It’s impolite on any day to knit-pick at the culinary abilities of your mother, but today especially, you ought to keep your comments on her cooking positive and complimentary and—wait a minute! Just what are you doing making your mom cook on Mothers’ Day?! Roll up your sleeves in the kitchen and (get help if you need) to make a nice meal for your mother instead of the other way around!

Give your mother the gift of not giving her a job for the day! She’ll appreciate the break from the typical family maintenance that she deals with on a daily basis. Wish her a happy Mothers’ Day and give her something nice. You can develop some easy ideas for her on this Blog post from the past—check it out by clicking here and, as always, thanks for reading!

- John

Hey, Fans of Springtime!

It’s great to come alive again after enjoying a rather hibernative state here in northwestern Wisconsin where landscapes turn a pretty white and the temperatures drastically drop in the wintertime. We Wisconsinites tend to fare well throughout a season of such scarcity, but it’s always nice to see it come to an end as we enjoy the unfolding spring and a step closer to summer camp season. And today we celebrate the arrival of the Spring season!

Today is the Vernal (or Spring) Equinox.

Right now you may be saying to yourself: Equi-what? However, if you’re an avid reader of this Blog, you may already have an idea of what this is since I posted about the Autumnal Equinox roughly six months ago. These things occur twice a year, y’know! Like the more popularly known Summer and Winter Solstices, equinoxes mark the beginnings of the spring and fall seasons.

The word ‘equinox’ is Latin in origin: ‘aequus’, which means ‘equal’ and ‘nox’, which means ‘night’. While the solstices mark the longest and shortest days of the year, the Autumnal and Vernal Equinoxes hang in a fragile balance to mark equal day and night at 12 hours apiece all across the entire planet!

Of course, the folks who live in the Southern Hemisphere are all celebrating the Autumnal Equinox as we ring in the Spring. This is because the earth’s axis as it rotates tilts toward and away from the sun. As we tilt toward it here in Northwestern Wisconsin, folks in Southern Brazil start tilting a similar degree away.

As we continue to shake off the frost from the winter, enjoy your time outside, soak up that sunshine, and play until you’re happy! Stay equipped for the rainy days on the April horizon by clicking here and, as always, thanks for reading!

- John

Merry Christmas from Everything Summer Camp!

People have been celebrating the Christmas holiday for a very long time and carried out some of its most well-known traditions for even longer. Rituals like caroling and exchanging gifts date back at least to the1600s while bringing trees into our homes is a literally ancient custom. These traditions have come to mean a lot to folks who love this day of the year, as they should.There’s certainly nobody working today at Everything Summer Camp! Everyone from our business family will be spending the day with our families at home, enjoying all the traditional gift-exchanging, feasting, and all-around merrymaking. That’s what I do every year anyway!

Each season provides us with its own specific mood and this particular season was made to be spent in the jolly, warm company of those whom we hold dearest. This season may contain the coldest, darkest day of the year, but we do all we can to brighten it with our cheerfulness, our good will, quality time together.

Unlike previous years, my family from Southern Wisconsin is coming up to visit me and my other siblings in Northern Wisconsin. We always tend to really immerse ourselves in the holiday spirit, so there are lots of smiles, laughs, and merriment whenever we’re all together.

As I previously mentioned, so many of our holiday traditions such as giving gifts, caroling, and bringing trees into our homes have been adopted from a varied past, originating from Pagan celebrations and re-popularized by none other than Charles Dickens with his still-famous Christmastime masterpiece, ‘A Christmas Carol’.

These traditions have been carried out for a very long time and, as for me and my family, we’re all more-than-happy to carry on the age-old traditions and keep Christmas a warm day that unites us and brings us all joy.I wish togetherness, joy, and merriment to all of our summer camp families out there. Merry Christmas!

- John