Hey, Sports Fans!

A fairly popular sport that shouldn’t be too difficult to find offered at summer camps on an outside court or maybe a gym, Badminton is an ancient game that’s traced back more than 2000 years to an extremely similar game called Battledore and Shuttlecock. Instead of racquets, the game was originally played with paddles or bats (Battledore) used to strike a lightweight feathered bulb (Shuttlecock—also called a Birdie). Other games of a great likeness were played for hundreds of years, widespread across Europe and Asian countries like China, Egypt, Greece, India, Japan, and more. It was around 1850 when officers of the British military came across a popular game in the Indian town of Poona. There, they simply called the game Poona.

Poona wasn’t played with a net, however, the British officers added one to the game when they got home and officially introduced it to England in a country estate home called ‘Badminton House’. That’s when it got the name we know for it.

Often seen as an easy leisure activity, Badminton may appear as though it’s nothing too difficult. The game takes on a different pace with a ‘ball’ so lightweight and feathery, but don’t let it fool ya! There’s plenty of skill going on in this game. Check it out:

Keep your Eye on the Shuttlecock
There’s a lot more involved in Badminton than may initially meet the eye. But extreme accuracy in hand-eye coordination is developed rather quickly with a racquet and birdie.  

Beat the Birdie
A slower moving object may create the illusion of a slower-paced game, but there’s nothing slow about chasing the birdie to the right spot in time to deliver a crushing response.

What a Racquet!
The birdie tends to take an interesting trajectory across the net which can keep the players guessing as to which way it’s going. Along with its unique movement, the birdie must be hit with careful force to send it to specific spots that will keep your opponent on the run.

Enjoy playing Badminton at your summer camp this coming season. While official games require a net and a specific court size, all you really need to have a fun time is a couple racquets, a birdie, and a friend. Have a great time and, as always, thanks for reading!

- John

Hey, Paintballers!

Paintball is a popular activity and a thrilling one at that! It’s a sport that requires different things from you, depending on the lay of the land and the obstacles placed on the playing field. You might have to crawl, dive, run, jump, dodge, speed, and more. It’s a great, all-inclusive workout body to keep yourself healthy with family and friends.

The first paintball gun was invented in the 1960s by the Nelson Paint Company. It was initially called a marker as its original use was never intended to be used on people, but rather for lumberjacks and farmers to mark trees and livestock. Another decade later, two buddies were having a conversation about how well city folk could survive a situation where they were being targeted in natural settings.

The discussion led to the idea to make a game out of it. It even turned into something they would profit off of, selling protective gear to go along with the paintballs and the guns such as goggles, mask, vest, guards, etc. It’s caught on quite a bit since its start! Here’s what people get out of it:

Improves Strength
As I already mentioned, Paintball is an extremely physical activity—good for building muscles in your arms, legs, and core! Unlike a typical gym workout which focuses on one or two areas at once, Paintball gets all your muscles working together!

Reduce Stress
Paintball is an opportunity to de-stress! There’s actual science to back this up. See, the intense game play will have an effect on your brain that releases chemicals called endorphins which tend to keep your mind focused and at peace—even in the heat of battle! Strategizing in the game is another great way to focus your thoughts and lead to further focus. And, of course, playing in the outdoors is always good to bring you fresh air and negative ions!

Promotes Teamwork
Other variations can mean just one-on-one, but typically Paintball is a team sport that requires a strategy that is executed by all team players. It also encourages team spirit and improves leadership skills. Cooperation is one of the key components of the game.

FUN
Needless to say, Paintball is fun! And, though it may come as some surprise, having fun is a wonderful aid to your health. The flow of adrenaline, laughing, and enjoying an activity with a close group is a bonding experience does wonders for your mental health.

Look around to find a camp that offers Paintball or just find a local Paintball Park and get yourself geared up for the fun! Enjoy the experience and, as always, thanks for reading, Camp Fans!

- John

Hey, Pottery People!

Summer camps all over the country recognize Pottery as a choice camp activity. Yes, lots of camps offer Pottery in their activities to encourage all the young potters out there to develop your skills and expand your knowledge of the art. Camps provide all the Pottery supplies for your camper to explore their creativity with some clay and hone their artistic skills.  

Turtle shells and carved stone worked well for cooking during the Stone Age, but it required either turtles or lots of time and effort. While typically acknowledged as an art (which it certainly is), you could probably call Pottery an early technology. After all, the creation of Pottery was developed with the purpose of making earthen cookware—pots, plates, and everything in between.

Lots of people are drawn to Pottery as their preferred medium. What’s the attraction to this interesting art form? Here are a few things Pottery does for people:

Aaaaaaaaahhhhh….
Whether it’s Cooking, Woodworking, or making Pottery, people like working with their hands. Making something that we have a physical “hand” in (pun intended) is a great creative outlet and draws your focus to a single-pointedness of mind. Very relaxing.

That Pot Looks Half Full
The Pottery process undergoes sudden shifts and spontaneous changes. It creates a current of energy that moves from one space to another. Pottery grants you a path to self-expression, self-identification, confidence, self-esteem, and a positive outlook in general.

Navigate Uncharted Waters
Pottery helps you strengthen your creative muscle in a really fun and self-gratifying way. It’s a great practice to show yourself the things you can do. It shows you that there is no right or wrong way to do something. You’re free to find your own way!

If you’re passionate about Pottery, then I recommend you look into a summer camp that offers it as an activity to boost your techniques and skills. Or, if you already have a camp in mind, call them up to ask about their Pottery program. And, as always, thanks for reading, Camp Fans!

- John

Hey, Weaver Readers!

Clothing and other fabrics are a huge part of our lives. I don’t know about you, but I wear clothes every day. People have worn things for a long, long time—long before we even developed our ability to construct fabric. Before clothing existed, people would drape or tie natural elements around their bodies such as animal skins, fur, grass, leaves, bones, shells, and anything else handy that worked.

It was about 8,000 years ago that people first started producing textile fabrics—material made by creating an interlocking network of yarns or threads. Methods of textile construction are knitting, crocheting, felting, braiding, and weaving.

Weaving in itself, however, goes back even further than textiles, back another 4,000 years (altogether, 12,000 years ago) to the Neolithic Era, also known as The Stone Age. The art of weaving is actually thought to be one of the oldest crafts still utilized today. The basic idea of weaving even preceded the actual discovery of the process. People naturally made woven baskets, shelters, even fences, and more by simply interlacing tree branches and twigs.

Weaving is great for imparting skills and other benefits to anyone who decides to try their hand at the process. It’ll help you in areas like:

• Hand-eye Coordination
• Concentration
• Problem-solving (as you can encounter plenty of problems in the process)
• Pattern-understanding and Sequencing
• Creativity and Relaxation (as the process is quiet and calming—a great space for creativity to bloom)

Along with these benefits, weaving also teaches kids about recycling and reusing materials. From sticks to paper or yarn—if it’s long enough and flexible enough for your purposes, you can weave it. A great activity for cold or rainy days, give weaving a try sometime and look into whether your camp offers this powerful, primitive, tried-and-true tradition. Enjoy the process, Everybody. And, as always, thanks for reading.

- John

Hey, Hockey Fans!

If you were made for the ice, don’t think twice—find yourself an ice hockey camp where you can really develop your skills on the rinks. This sport has no official beginnings as it was simply the winterized version of a field game called Hurley. They simply called it ‘Hurley on the Ice’. But what started small in the Canadian province of Nova Scotia, became Ice Hockey and spread all across the country and gained much in popularity by the very beginning of the 19^th Century.

If fortunate enough to find an Ice Hockey Camp for yourself, here are some of the skills you can expect to learn:

Skating
Skating is the most fundamental part of Ice Hockey. You need to be a strong skater. Develop your skating and the rest of will follow. Mastering your forward skating, backward skating, and your over-speed abilities are essential for any good hockey player.

Dribbling
Much like Basketball, you need to be in constant control over the puck when moving it. This means shuffling he puck, maintaining its forward motion and position several feet in front of you. Dribbling is crucial to moving anywhere on the rink with the puck.

Passing and Shooting
Finally, you’ll learn to get rid of the puck with control, directing it to either a fellow teammate or at the goal. You’ll pick up on the different styles of shot you can take and ‘leading’ your passes—not aiming for your teammate, but where your teammate is going to be by the time the puck would reach them.

With just these three or four dynamics to the game, you can really make some big strides in your level of performance. Find the right Ice Hockey camp to suit you such as Liberty Hockey Summer Camp. Watch their promotional video below and check them out when you click here. As always, thanks for reading, Camp Fans!

- John