Hey, Camp Fans!

Let’s take a moment here on the Everything Summer Camp Blog today and highlight the next among the many summer camps with whom we’re proud to have developed a wonderful relationship. For today’s Summer Camp Spotlight post, we’re fixing our light to one of our Canadian camps just above the eastern segment of the Upper Peninsula.  

When Bill Slick saw his go-to hunting and fishing camp’s property was up for sale he called his Uncle Woody who always spoke of getting land to start a summer camp. This was the perfect place for their camp, Camp Bil(Bill Slick)-O-Wood(Uncle Woody).

Found in the pristine north woods of Ontario, Bil-O-Wood provides 160 acres of seemingly endless, beautiful wilderness and fantastic playground. Camp Bil-O-Wood is a place where campers learn, grow, and take in the Great Outdoors.  The property, located in Blind River, Ontario is surrounded by three clear Canadian lakes.

Campers headed to Camp Bil-O-Wood can look forward to awesome activities such as Archery, Baseball/Softball, Basketball, Field Hockey, Football, Frisbee, Gymnastics, Lacrosse, Rugby, Soccer, Track, Tennis, Volleyball, Weight Training, and more. And that’s just on the land! Bil-O-Wood is blessed with three spring-fed and clear lakes which provide for campers to experience some freshwater fun with activities like Boating, Canoeing, Fishing Sailing, Skiing, Swimming, Tubing, Water Football, Water Polo, Waterskiing, and more.

Also available for fun pastimes, performances, and adventures, Bil-O-Wood offers activities like Arts and Crafts, Dramatics, Frog & Turtle Hunts, Karaoke, Music, Nature Hikes, Nature Study, Painting, Pottery, Saturday Night Dances, Skits and Shows, Woodworking, Writing, and more.

The camp welcomes 130 campers each season from ages 7 to 17. With a dozen rustic-style cabins, built among the beautiful birch trees and the shores of Bass Lake, they house 10 to 11 campers in each one along with a camp counselor. While they look rustic, they also are equipped with electricity, running water, and toilet stalls. Also shower houses are all close by the cabins.

With a gorgeous campus and great facilities that complement the natural beauty surrounding the camp, give Bil-O-Wood a closer look for yourself. Take a look at their website when you click right here and maybe you’ll find yourself there one day for your own summer camp stay. Till next time, Camp Fans. And, as always, thanks for reading.

- John

Hey, Bookworms!

Pick up anything good lately? Enjoying a good read is great for you. Reading is a wonderful habit to find yourself immersed in. In a previous post, I’ve gone over what amazing health benefits you reap from reading such as reduced stress, increased empathy, sharper brain functions, and more. Check out the whole post by clicking right here. 

Lots of kids, even if they’re not the world’s most avid readers, still have their favorites—books that really made an impact on them the first time they read it and stuck with them afterward. I remembered being absolutely obsessed with one book in particular when I was eight years old.

Here’s your chance to recommend your favorite book to a large audience made up of lots of kids in your age group. We’d love to hear about it and so would all of our fellow Everything Summer Camp Blog followers,I’m sure!

So long as the books are appropriate for young readers, I’m happy to feature all kinds—from Golden Books for very young kids to classic chapter books for preteens like ‘Where the Red Fern Grows’. We’ll include graphic novels and comic books as well.

Tell us how old you were when you first read your recommendation and why it is that you love it so much. Just fill out our form when you click right here ______________ and look for your book to be featured.

So long as you know of a really fantastic title, share the wealth and let everyone know what it means to you. Maybe it will mean just as much to somebody else! Enjoy this opportunity and look forward to seeing your own reading recommendation featured right here on the Everything Summer Camp Blog! Thanks for your submissions and, as always, thanks for reading!

- John

Hey, Friends!

Today is Make a Friend Day. Make a Friend Day is all about appreciating the people you consider to be your pals. Whether it’s your best friend since the first grade or somebody friendly that you met today, friends are important to have in your life. When you are blessed with the gift of friends, you don’t need anything else because your friends are there to help you out.

All too often we’re stuck living the busy side of life that demands that we work, work, work!!! But when you finally get a break, you want some good company to enjoy the good times with and to help make the fun even more fun. You want somebody you call a friend!

Friendships usually take a little bit of time and a little bit of effort before you become best buds. So don’t be scared in case you hang out with somebody new and you don’t have an absolute blast. Does that mean you just aren’t ever going to be friends? No. You just haven’t had the chance to be comfortable around each other yet.

It’s a great learning experience—making friends. After all, you learn all about another person and learn how to communicate in their style. You learn what you have in common with them. And what you don’t have in common as well.

Sometimes making friends is just as easy as finding someone who seems approachable. Is there that kid at school that you see in the cafeteria all the time, but never talked to before? Go up and introduce yourself. Ask a thing or two about them. People love it when you take a casual interest in their lives—it’s flattering. So you’d be off to a good start by just doing that.

You may end up fast friends. Take the next opportunity you find where you can introduce yourself to somebody new at school, or camp, or anywhere else that fate would have it. Maybe you’ll make your best friend today! Best of luck. As always, thanks for reading!   

- 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, Friendly Folks!

Sending Greeting Cards in the mail has been a time-honored tradition—one that probably goes back further than anyone would have expected. It’s a treasured practice around Christmastime that people look forward to sending and receiving, it’s a common birthday tradition, and it’s used for a slew of other special occasions. It can also just be a nice surprise when you have something special to say! 

Today is National Send a Card to a Friend Day.

You can buy cards at a store, print one from a design you find online, or roll up your sleeves and break out the markers for a very special handmade card! Whichever route you pick, it’s a really great feeling, knowing you’ll put a smile on a good friend’s face.

How will you choose who to send the card to? Well, throughout any given year, is there anyone you think of often that you aren’t able to see regularly? That person would probably be a good candidate.

Maybe it’s a friend from camp that you only get to see during your summer visits. Maybe it’s an old neighborhood friend who moved away or stayed put when you moved away. Maybe it’s a family member you’re close with that you don’t get to see often enough.

No matter who you pick or what kind of card you decide to give them (whether it be a sincere message or a funny joke), it’s sure to relay your love and thoughtfulness before the recipient even opens the envelope! Take a little time today to either find or create your own card and get it in the mail to somebody who means a lot to you.

We offer a good amount of camp-themed Greeting Cards here on our website which could be perfect to send to a good ol’ camp friend. It can read something like: “Can’t wait till we’re together again at camp!” Check out our options when you click right here and find a great card for one of your friends. Happy Send a Card to a Friend Day and, as always, thanks for reading!

- John