Hey, Gen-u-ine Gymnasts!

Were you born for the balance beam? Made for mat routines? If so, you’re in luck! There’s a good chance you’ll have the opportunity to try some of your favorite Gymnastic events at summer camp. While you’ll always want to confirm that your camp offers a specific activity that you’re interested in, certain activities are so popular (such as Archery), you’d be hard-pressed to find a camp that DIDN’T offer it. Similarly, you’ll find Gymnastics offered at most camps.

Furthering your skills in the art of Gymnastics will benefit you greatly. Performing a sport as physically-demanding as gymnastics is a fantastic way for kids to improve their level of fitness including balance, coordination, flexibility, and strength. But the benefits of such an activity will also exceed your physical fitness. Check out how ELSE doing Gymnastics can benefit you:

Self-Confidence
Developing your skill level for certain Gymnastic events is a challenge to undertake! With practice and dedication, it’s exciting for campers to discover their progress over the course of their camp stay. Seeing themselves advance instills confidence in their abilities which results in campers feeling more confident in themselves.

Social Skills
Gymnastic events are often performed in a group setting. Kids wait in line for their turn to execute a certain event and then move onto the next. It’s a great setting for kids to talk about their progress, which event is their favorite, and just be silly with each other. It’s a great way for kids to develop their communication skills, work together, and make new friends.

Fun
This sport is hard work, but it’s also exhilarating. Learning new skills and performing routines are accomplishments children can take pride in. It’s something that helps them feel more engaged in the summer camp experience and encourage getting into the camp spirit. Since having fun is the Number One goal of summer camp, you can be sure this is one incredibly fun activity!

Will your camper be enjoying Gymnastics in this year’s summer camp season? It will boost their confidence, social skills, physical fitness, and overall enjoyment of summer camp! Be sure to encourage your kid to give Gymnastics a try. Til next time, Camp Folks! Thanks for reading and, as always, Happy Camping!

- John

Hey, Sports Fans!

This time of year, we may be more inclined to find means of entertainment and challenging games indoors. The same way that Pool, Ping-Pong, and Darts originated from the outdoor sports Lawn Billiards, Tennis, and Archery, Air Hockey spawned from the sport—you guessed it—Ice Hockey. The game was moved indoors, shrunk down to tabletop size, and given a frictionless surface.

Air Hockey tables achieve a frictionless surface by means of thousands of tiny holes all pushing out air currents, creating a cushion of air on the tabletop.

Less than 100 Years of History
It was the early 1960s when three employees of Brunswick Billiards sought to create a miniature version of Hockey. The wanted it so the puck could ‘float’ across the table like gliding on ice. They hired an engineer named Bob Lumineux who designed them the perfect air hockey table, though it took him nearly ten years later in 1973.

New and Almost Extinct
Foosball and Ping-Pong were popular at the time which bode well for Air Hockey. It was an immediate hit when it came out. But despite that, it nearly went out of production in the coming decades. The 80’s and 90s saw the introduction and popularity boom of video games. This revolution of entertainment entered the scene and really created an uphill battle for Air Hockey to survive.

1974 Air Hockey Tournament Premiere
Against all odds, Air Hockey did survive thanks to its popularity and officiated tournaments from early on. Before Brunswick Billiards even received an official copyright permit for the game, Air Hockey saw its premiere tournament in 1974. With a whopping $5000 cash reward to the winner and a $1000 cash reward to second place!  

I highly recommend you play Air Hockey whenever you find the opportunity to. There's some chance of finding an Air Hockey table in the rec room of the summer camp you're headed to next season. It’s quite fun for a first timer as it is for any expert. Enjoy your time on the ‘ice’ and, as always, thanks for reading!

- John

Hey, Camp Folks!                                 

Staying hard at work with an assortment of responsibilities, Nate is our Manager of the Graphics Department—a role that keeps him rather busy developing new product ideas, keeping our apparel stocked, overseeing all product production, printer and other equipment maintenance, and a whole lot more than just that. But we’re not talking about work today! 

Today we’re going to find out what Nate would do if he got to go to summer camp right now as an adult. He couldn’t settle on any one camp activity so he gave me a laundry list of fun stuff he’d sign up for. Check out the busy schedule he made for himself: 

Tennis
In his freshman year of high school, Nate thought Tennis looked interesting. He eventually played with the team after school. He had a great time playing it and, while it didn’t stick, he’d be all too happy to give it another go.

Golf
Nate’s been sharpening his Golf skills for the past 10 years. He started out heading to a course here and there with friends, but somewhere along the way, he decided to get pretty serious about it. Play became obsession and, for quite some time now, Golf has been a weekly pastime.

Trapshooting
While he’s only gone a handful of times in his life, Nate found that he really enjoys the challenge of Trapshooting. He told me that if it wasn’t for Golf, he’d probably be obsessed with Trapshooting.

Fishing
Another favorite pastime Nate loves is Fishing. He’s typically catching Walleye or Bass. Nate’s kids enjoy going fishing as well. They’ll often go with his older brother; fishing is to Nate’s brother as Golf is to him!

Hiking
For a little over a year now, Nate and his family have been going on hikes together. It’s great to get out and enjoy some fresh air in the natural world away from chirping phones and flashing screens. They do go to local hotspots like Irvine Park, Peninsula State Park, and Big Falls County Park.

Cooking
Nate already does quite a bit of cooking, but he sees it as a life skill that can always been improved upon. He enjoys making meals for his family on his Blackstone Hibachi Grill. Even in the winter months here in Wisconsin, Nate will do some outdoor cooking at least once a week.

Computer Camp
Nate knows computers are another life skill—something that will be needed more and more as time goes on. He taught himself Adobe Photoshop and Illustrator in order to update our methods of creating personalized products in the Graphics Department.

Do you share any of Nate’s interests in summer camp activities? I know I do. And he could definitely cook something for me one of these days! See what kind of options are available to you at your camp and, as always, thanks for reading!

- John

Hey, Stained Artists!

People have been working with the craft of stained glass for more than a thousand years. More than any other application—and almost exclusively—stained glass is found in the beautiful windows of churches, cathedrals, and other places of worship. We’ve all seen this unique art form and who hasn’t been held a little bit spellbound by the fascinating work of stained glass?

Creating a work of art through the stained glass medium is quite the process. Check out the steps to making a panel of stained glass. 

The Stained Glass Cartoon
To start out, you’ll want to draw out your design on paper. In the stained glass business, this paper template is referred to as a ‘Cartoon’. This is helpful in designating the outline of the lead around each cut of glass as well as mapping out the colors and details when the time comes for painting.

Cutting Glass
Assuming you’re working with pre-stained glass, pick out the right piece for the desired color and texture. Use the cartoon under the glass to cut the glass to the proper shape and size.

Dabbing on the Details
Mark your outlines on the glass before you start adding any details. You can use a technique called Matting to shade the glass with your paint using a wide brush. Dabbing at the paint to create texture is a technique called Stippling. You can also create fine detail by carefully scraping the paint with a needle.

Kiln o’ Clock
Now comes the time for the paint to be hardened and fixed. This happens in a kiln where the extraordinary degrees can be safely reached.

Lead the Way
Now it’s finally time to lay your individual glass pieces in their proper spots according to your cartoon. The lead is cut and shaped appropriately and then joined on the front and back of your panel using a soldering iron. Your artwork is now crafted into a single solid panel.

The Finishing Touches
A glazing cement gets applied and scrubbed into any gaps between the glass and the lead. Then you a chalk mixture called ‘whiting’ is spread over your panel to help the cement harden. The excess whiting is eventually brushed off and cleaned up.

If you’d like to learn the process then I recommend you look into a summer camp that offers it as an activity to boost your familiarity with the art form. If you already have a camp in mind, call them up to ask about their program. And, as always, thanks for reading, Camp Fans!

- John

Hey, Filmmakers!

With so many video apps and computer programs available in the modern day, moviemaking can be a casual love or, for those who hear the calling of the camera, it can become a deep passion! One way or another, it’s a great way to visually record moments in time and to express yourself as an artist. Since the dawn of video capture cameras, people have been mesmerized by the marvel of moving pictures—movies.                   

Whether you’re shooting a 60-second D-I-Y stop/motion animation video or a full length feature film, making a video requires a lot of work and a lot of effort. You’ll want to familiarize yourself with the basics of film. Here are just a few fundamental points to consider while making your video.

Lighting
Framing up a good shot is important so your viewer’s have something they actually want to look at. While good cinematography is a whole other department, if a shot isn’t lit well, it won’t be very attractive to the eye. Shots can still be dark, but must be sufficiently lit.

Sound
While the occasional shot that’s too dark or out-of-focus can be forgivable, viewers are much less lenient on poor sound quality. Crystal clear sound will always bring a level of professionalism to your video.

Editing
You can’t present a video without editing it! These days, it’s much easier to edit film using the proper computer program. Master one of these programs and you can create a video you’d expect to see on the big screen!

If you’re passionate about Moviemaking, then I recommend you look into a summer camp that offers it as an activity to boost your familiarity with the art form. If you already have a camp in mind, call them up to ask about their program. And, as always, thanks for reading, Camp Fans!

- John