Hey, Boys and Girls!

Today isn’t Kayak day.... Actually, it’s National Canoe Day. But since I spent this day last year presenting the preference of a canoe trip over kayaking and, since there is no National Kayaking Day, I thought I’d take today’s Blog post to go over all the ways kayaks have one over on canoes. If you’re true to the canoe, you can check out last year’s post too and read some ways that a canoe trip may be preferable. But for now, let’s get into kayaks.

The Kayak Don’t Lack
While canoes are made more for a strolling sort of journey on the water, kayaks are more about the exercise of the expedition. Build up your paddling power and rowing muscles in a kayak and immerse yourself in the adventure when you head out in a kayak.

Kayak Crossing
As noted in last year’s post, canoes can be preferable for long portage trips since you can load your gear in the canoe. Kayaks, on the other hand, while they won’t hold much gear, will be much lighter to carry and you can tote it all on your own.

Navigate the Rapids
A kayak is able to traverse fast running water that you can’t do so much in a canoe. Kayaks are typically narrower with a slight upward curve at the bow and stern that keeps less of the hull in the water to give you more speed and maneuverability. This benefit kayaks have over canoes is what really brings the adventure closer to home.

Kayaks and canoes certainly have their differences, but no matter how you choose to spend your time in the water, you’re sure to have a wonderful time! Get out and enjoy your own adventure and, as always, thanks for reading, Camp Fans!

- John

Hey, Giddy Golfers!

If Golf is your game, then this Blog post should have your attention! FORE!! A popular enough sport, you won’t have a hard time finding a summer camp that offers Golf as an activity. We all know the name, but where did it come from and where did the sport originate altogether? Let’s dig in and find out on today’s post, highlighting the game of Golf.  

No one can say for sure, but we know of at least a couple possible origins of the name ‘Golf’. Maybe it came from the Scots’ word ‘goulf’ meaning ‘to strike or cuff’. Or maybe it derived from the Dutch word ‘kolf’, which means ‘bat’ or ‘club’. In any case, the name came about around the 15^th Century in Scotland because that’s when the game was invented…or was it?

Historians debatably trace Golf all the way back to an ancient Roman game called ‘Paganica’ where the players would use sticks to hit a stuffed leather ball. But the rules of more-or-less modern Golf weren’t developed until 1457 in which driving a small ball with a club toward a small hole on a large playing field with as fewest strokes as possible. Of course, the specifics of 18 holes and detailed rules evolved over time, but the essence of the game was there.

Meditative
As is the case with many activities you’ll find at summer camp, Golf has a meditative element to it. The ball demands focus and swinging your club with just the right motion means having a clear head. Devoting some time to a challenging, but simple goal of lining up shots and putting a ball in a hole is meditative in itself.

A Feel For the Physics
A good game of golf hinges on an understanding of how much force to use behind your shots and being in tune with what that weight feels like as you swing, chip, or tap.

Great Way to Spend Time Outside
A beautiful landscape, golf courses are well-maintained to stay so gorgeous—it’s a marriage of order from people and the wild growth of nature. Get out to the golf course for a fun but challenging game while you see the sights of some great land!

Golf is a skill that’s great to develop. Check out your camp to see if they offer Golf if you want to try your hand at it at summer camp. Maybe you’ll advance your game in the coming summer! Enjoy your time spent out on the courses and, as always, thanks for reading!

- John

Hey, Sports Fans!

A popular enough sport that most summer camps across the country offer it in a rec. room or maybe in a gym, Ping Pong—also known as Table Tennis—is, rather obviously, the lawn game Tennis adapted to an indoors game to be played on a tabletop. Tennis, which was invented in 1873, only took about a decade to make its indoor transformation.   

The term Ping Pong is typically the one you’ll hear used by amateurs while formally trained players refer to the sport as Table Tennis. But the two names refer to the exact same game. The name ‘Ping-Pong’ was coined by the English firm J. Jaques and Son at the end of the 1800s and later became trademarked by the Parker Brothers board game company which popularized the name.

The game caught on quick. And by 1901 tournaments were being held, bringing in more than 300 participants. So what’s so cool about Ping Pong?

Hand/Eye Coordination
There’s a lot more involved in Ping Pong than may initially meet the eye. But extreme accuracy in hand-eye coordination is developed rather quickly with a paddle and a ping pong ball.  

Knowing When to…
Ping Pong isn’t necessarily a game of finesse, but you definitely need to get a feel for how much force to apply when you strike the ball. Depending on how much momentum the ball is carrying, you’ll need to know when to give a light tap and when to smack it. There’s also the element of spin that can put on the ball based on the angle and swiftness you use when you hit it.

Ping Pant
When you think of a good cardio workout Ping Pong isn’t very likely the first thing to come to mind. But I’m amazed every time I play how much physical exertion is involved! Quick steps from side to side, bouncing backward and forward, and stretching for long reaches, Ping Pong almost always has me breaking a sweat when I play (assuming my competition is good enough!).

Enjoy playing Ping Pong on the tables available at your summer camp this coming season. You can check out our Backpack Ping Pong Set we have available when you click here. And, as always, thanks for reading!

- John

Hey, Basketball Fanatics!

Basketball is a game of great coordination and skill. From dribbling, to passing, shooting, and dunking, players have been perfecting their performance since the game saw its beginning nearly a decade before the turn of the 17^th Century. The game was invented for a new indoor sport, intended to keep the young athletic students of Springfield College active and conditioned during the winter months.

Conceived of in the month of December back in 1891 by the Springfield College instructor, Dr. James Naismith in Springfield, Massachusetts, he thought a game in which the players threw a ball at a target would be safe enough to play indoors.

He nailed peach baskets to the lower railing of the gymnasium’s balcony at ten feet high on either end of the gym and created some rules. The objective of the game was simple: the team to toss the ball the most times into the basket would win.

The game was originally named as two words—Basket Ball and Dr. James wrote up 13 different rules for his game and that was the birth of Basketball. The game spread and multiplied when some of the students that played the original game grew up and became teachers and coaches themselves. As time went on, popularity went up.

Alterations were made and some rules were tweaked. Dribbling was added as an element of the game as well as the addition of backboards and netting to the 'basket'—which was now just a simple hoop.

Enjoy playing this popular game which is typically found in the activity programs of most summer camps! Also, check out this previous post on the Blog about Michael Jordan and the basketball summer camp that he started—the Michael Jordan Flight School, one of the best youth basketball camps in the world. And, as always, thanks for reading, Camp Folks!

- John

Hey, Sketch Artists!

A powerful tool—the pencil—can create a visual masterpiece when directed by the skilled and developed hand. While a number of accessories with varying quality can be used, Drawing is one summer camp activity that really doesn’t take too many tools beyond a pencil and some paper. 

Much like the history of Painting, Drawing goes back to our time as cave dwellers when our ancient ancestors first discovered the ability to create images by dragging certain images across the cave walls. And voila—Drawing was invented!

Lots of people find themselves *ahem* DRAWN to Visual Art and Drawing in particular for its ability to express thoughts and feelings that we would otherwise have difficulty communicating. What else is there to appreciate about Drawing?

Creating your marks of Contour Line helps people to really pay attention to the object being drawn and see the shape and the detail of the object in a whole new way. You’ll find little tricks, like finding the halfway point of a line to more accurately record it or compare distance from one point to another to keep the proportion appropriate. You may be amazed to discover how much detail you push to your peripheral on a daily basis. 

Whether you’re drawing off a live model, copying an existing piece of visual art, or going off your own imagination, Drawing encourages slow, deliberate motion. It’s therapeutic. As a child I would draw to help relieve migraine headaches! Not to mention, a blank page—turned masterpiece makes for a nice boost in confidence for any artist as they view their finished work! Quite therapizing, indeed.  

Knowing exactly what mark to make, where to make it, and how much pressure to apply as you move your hand across the paper is as beneficial as any video game when it comes to developing your hand-eye coordination. Strengthen your hand-eye coordination and try your hand to draw something today!

Due to its simplicity in set up and accessories, you should be able to find Drawing offered at pretty much any summer camp you check out. If you already have a camp in mind, you can check with them about they’re Drawing program by calling them up. Enjoy And, as always, thanks for reading, Camp Fans!

- John