Hey, Fall Folks!

Happy Take a Hike Day! Enjoy the day by participating in this invaluable pastime—hiking is a great way to appreciate those beautiful days that draw you to get out and breathe in that therapeutic, fresh autumn air. Walking trails are typically accessible in residential areas and, for those who live in more rural settings, perhaps you can just walk out your back door and see where it takes you! An absolutely explosive time of year, today is right at the perfect time of year!

The trees around our parts here in the northwestern area of Wisconsin have mostly all dropped their leaves and left a beautiful multicolored carpet over the earth. It’s beautiful when the trees’ leaves lose their green sheen; you can collect a regular bouquet with the colors of the rainbow. But why do they turn so many different colors as they die and fall?

Ready to Drop
Why do trees lose their leaves? Trees get the most energy when they’re exposed to warm, wet, and sunny weather. As we move toward winter, the air gets colder, dryer, and we see less sunlight. It would require a great deal of energy for trees to keep their leaves throughout such an unaccommodating time of year so deciduous trees drop their leaves as a tactic to survive the winter season.

That lively gloss of green summer leaves comes from basking in the long hours of daylight that the summer season offers. Trees’ process of obtaining energy through sunlight is photosynthesis. Through this process, trees produce chlorophyll which is a stark green in most trees. The green tends to cover up the other pigments that are present in the leaf…until the green goes away.

Each leaf is different! Different trees have a different amount of pigments and chlorophyll that they deliver to their leaves and depending on what pigments a leaf has and how much green it’s lost. A leaf’s color depends entirely on the ratio of a leaf’s pigment and chlorophyll production. That explains how leaves in the fall are able to take on a handful of other colors.

Enjoy the cool colors of Autumn outside today by getting out on a woodsy trail and kicking through all the ones that have fallen. You can learn about the health benefits of hiking from a previous Blog post about Take a Hike Day—hop on over to it by clicking here. And, as always, thanks for reading, Fall Fans!

- John

Hey, Camp Fans!

It was great to read all the camper submissions we received this year for our ‘Share Your Camp Story’ Contest at Everything Summer Camp. I’m happy to share them with our online community and post each submission right here on the Blog! Besides our ten lucky prize winners, all other entrants received a $15 gift certificate to our online store and get their story published on the Blog, one at a time!

Today’s post is from Cameron K., who wrote in to tell us about his positive camp experience at French Woods Festival of the Performing Arts. Check out his submission right here:

“Camp. When I hear the word ‘camp’, my entire demeanor changes. Camp is my second home. I am a theater kid, so at home, I’m not like most of the boys, especially any of the so-called ‘sports boys’. At home, I often feel as if I’m on the outs. Then camp comes around. My camp, French Woods Festival of the Performing Arts, is a welcoming, safe place for individuals to be whoever they want to be. I have been going to camp for 5 years now and, this year, for the first time, I went to camp for six weeks and had the best time of my life! There, I can be a singer. A dancer. A performer. And fit right into a group of guys, girls, and just be me. Camp has made me feel so much better about myself and has drastically improved my state of happiness. I don’t know what in the world I would do without this camp as a part of my life. Thank you French Woods. Thank you to camp in general! You have been my saving grace. Can’t wait to see you next year!”

Hey, Cameron! I’m sure you don’t need me to tell you that being different is nothing to be ashamed of. Everybody is different; you’re just better at it than most of the folks you know. But it’s great to hear that summer camp is your sanctuary where you truly do fit in! Camp is a great place! Readers may love it too if it’s as good match for you as it is for Cameron! Look into French Woods for yourself—check out their website by clicking here and, as always, thanks for reading!

- John

Hey, Camp Fans!

There are more stories to share from the Everything Summer Camp ‘Share Your Camp Story’ Contest! Your camp stories were so great and were such a fun time reading through them all and now I’m excited to share them with all our readers online! We’re posting each submission right here on the Blog one by one!

We had ten lucky prize winners and now it’s time to publish the rest of your submissions. The following post is from Carol H. who wrote in to us about her grandchildren’s time at Camp Seneca Lake. Here it is:

“My grandchildren Sam P. (age 10) and Abby P. (age 8) had a blast at Camp Seneca Lake! It was Sam's second summer there and he opted to stay both 3 1/2 week sessions. Abby did a trial two week session and opted to stay one entire 3 1/2 week session.

At camp they made new friends, tried new foods, and had no screen time, all of which made me very happy!

At Camp Seneca Lake, boys and girls in each of the four villages (divided by gender and age) and the senior camp village get to know each other. There is a big brother, big sister program where Sam and Abby were paired with an older camper for many activities. There is a hobby program with dozens of choices. Both Sam and Abby did theater and got to spend time with campers also interested in acting. A daily bunk schedule ensures that campers participate in all sorts of sports and cultural programs. There are Shabbat services every week. And, of course, there is Color War (and other signature programs) where there is competition, paired with good old-fashioned fun. I don't know how the staff comes up with such great ideas!

One day each session the villages go on a trip to area attractions. Everyone is happy to ride a yellow school bus into the real world!

I helped Sam and Abby prepare and pack for camp and ordered many things from Everything Summer Camp. I was impressed with the quality of the items and the prices. There are great sales! The Clothing Stamp and the Stick-On Waterproof Name Labels are the best! I think Sam's water bottle label will stay on till he goes to college.

I have great memories of my own summer camp experiences and I'm thrilled to share these and to re-live camp through my grandchildren.”

Summer camp is certainly a great way to relate, Carol! How cool that Sam and Abby are now getting the camp experience like you had at their age and reigniting the excitement of it all! Sounds like camp at Seneca Lake was a success all around! Summer camps truly are fun factories, aren’t they? I’m pleased to hear that the camping gear from Everything Summer Camp worked so well and hope it sees Sam and Abby through many more summers! If anybody else is interested in Camp Seneca Lake, you can give it a closer look by clicking here and, as always, thanks for reading!

- John

Hey, Camp Fans!

Here at Everything Summer Camp, we work with more than 270 camps and we’re eager to share what excellent camps each and every one of them is. Today we’re shining our summer camp spotlight over to the West Coast in Northeastern California where we find the beautiful Mountain Meadow Ranch. Let me give you the virtual tour of this fantastic place…

This family owned and family-operated Californian camp sits north of Lake Tahoe in the Sierra Nevada Mountains. Situated on the wide open land is this 900 acre ranch, a co-ed camp for kids of the ages 7 to 16. For 60 summers Mountain Meadow Ranch has had an outstanding reputation of providing fun activities while building personal growth and self-confidence in a family-like setting.

Between adventure and sports and creative skills, there’s lots of fun going on with the Mountain Meadow Ranch activities such as Archery, Arts & Crafts, Campfires, Ceramics, CILT, Color Wars, Drama, Fencing Fishing, High Ropes, Horseback Riding, Lagoon, Mountain Biking, Outdoor Trips, Paintball, Photography, Riflery, The Overnight, Water Sports, and more!

Mountain Meadow Ranch cabins are distinct in their style, but they’re all the same in having electricity, wall-to-wall carpeting, and a bathroom with shower facilities. The campers all get their own twin-sized wooden bunk beds with bedding or sleeping bags. And all clothes and belongings are kept in trunks or luggage that slide under or to the side of their bunks.

Mountain Meadow Ranch is a one in a million summer camp. If it sounds like a good match for your summer camp family, you can get a closer look at this special Californian camp by visiting them on their website which you can get to by clicking here. Enjoy planning for the next summer season and, as always, thanks for reading!

- John

Hey, Camp Fans!

I’m thrilled to say that we had our best turnout yet for our annual Everything Summer Camp ‘Share Your Camp Story’ Contest! Your camp stories were great! I had such a fun time reading through them all and now I’m excited to share them with all our readers online! We’re posting each submission right here on the Blog!

Since I’ve finished announcing our ten lucky winners who took larger prizes, I’ve moved on to the rest of your submissions. The following post is from Kelly M. who wrote in to tell us about her perspective during her daughter’s summer stay at Camp Longhorn. Check it out:

“My 8-year-old daughter went to camp for her first time this year. She went to the same camp I spent more than 15 summers at. She and I were both so full of emotions leading up to the day I put her on that bus! We talked about how sometimes we feel more than one feeling at a time. Excited and nervous. Anxious and thrilled. Here were my thoughts the day after we loaded her (Everything Summer Camp) trunk in the bottom of that bus and waved goodbye until my husband and I couldn’t see the bus anymore: I'm trying not to let all my wonderings drive me crazy. Wondering what her bunk area looks like, did she get things hung and organized just the way she likes it, where in the cabin is she, did she finally decide top or bottom, did she get her bed made ok, what was the 1st activity that her cabin got to do, how cute is she reporting in at Swim Bay, what does she think of brushing her teeth outside, which pjs is she wearing, is she being shy or silly, is she loving it and not thinking of home or loving it and kinda homesick, what's her merit pin #, what kind of environment are her counselors creating, what is her reaction to Campfire, does she recognize ‘Taps’ and the other songs that I’ve sung to her since she was a baby, is that comforting or does it make her homesick, will she lay in bed unable to fall asleep, does she love sleeping to the sound of the lake and cicadas????? In my head, I can hear all the response of all the camp directors I’ve ever known: ‘Kel. Just trust. It’s allll good. You know better than anyone what great hands she’s in. Trust camp. Trust these amazing college girls that chose to spend their summer at camp. Trust your daughter. Now go have fun with your other two kiddos still at home waiting for their turn to come, when they’ll be 8-years-old and get to board that bus with their big sister.’”

Oh man…those are a LOT of wonderings! Sounds like your head did a bit of swimming this summer too. It makes sense that having had your own experience in the same setting likely aided your mind in running wild about your daughter’s time away! I’m glad you were eventually able to cool yourself down. I don’t have to tell you, but at summer camp, it truly is allll good! It’s great to get the parents’ side of a camp stay. If anybody else is interested in Camp Longhorn, you can give it a closer look by clicking here and, as always, thanks for reading!

- John