Hello, Fall Friends!

Perhaps you’re unfamiliar with the Fall season (or Autumn if you prefer it’s more formal name) as the climate varies rather dramatically across our lovely country. Everything Summer Camp, the home of C&N Footlockers and all other camping gear, is located in Boyd, WI where the Fall season is very beautiful. As it happens every year, we grow accustomed to it, but never forget what a beautiful part of the cycle this season is! 

We’re starting to see the first signs of fall!

Most people who live in northern Wisconsin revere the Fall season as their favorite of the four. It’s mine. The temperature’s typically in the Goldilock’s Zone of being just right and the trees start putting on their own fireworks shows! Fall means raking enormous leaf piles and jumping into them.

As the temperature continues to drop, the leaves on the trees are no longer getting the sunlight they need to perform processes essential to their life such as photosynthesis. Through this process, they obtain that lively green color. But when they stop getting the amount of sunlight they need, they lose their rich, green hue and fade into beautiful, vibrant shades of yellow, orange, red, and brown.

Unfortunately, these amazing colors indicate that the leaves are dying, as Mother Nature continues to show us the two sides of itself and the beauty that comes from them. They fall off the trees (which is where the Autumn season gets its alternative name) and carpet the ground.

Along with today’s Everything Summer Camp Blog post, we’ll be sharing your pictures and our own of the beautiful, changing environment that surrounds us here in northern Wisconsin. We hope they fill you with as much awe and inspiration as they do us. We truly do live in a beautiful world.

That’s all for today, Readers. Till next time.

Hey, School Kids!

Last week I talked about safety after school. Here’s something you can do to keep yourself safe after school–your homework! While it’s not the only part of school, your homework is one of the more important elements of school.

That’s why I’ve chosen for today’s Everything Summer Camp Blog post to give you some helpful advice on how to go about your homework.

Assignment Notebooks

First of all, you’ll definitely want an assignment notebook. When you have homework from five different classes, it can get pretty cloudy in the old noggin. You have enough to concentrate on with your daily school routine—don’t try to remember what homework you’ve been assigned in each and every class.

Homework After School

My next point of advice—and probably the best that I can give you for your homework—is to get into the habit of doing it immediately after school. Get home and get to your homework! If you don’t Pull out your handy-dandy assignment notebook so you can go over the list of assignments you need to complete for the next day and—as my father always used to say—get crackin’!

Look It Over

Last, but not least, is to ask for a little bit of help. When your work is all done, ask your parents if they would look it over for you. Show them your Assignment Notebook too. If they don’t have time, maybe you have a smart older brother or older sister who would be willing to check over your homework. The point in doing this is to catch any mistakes you may have made before it goes the teacher.

If you stick to these three simple suggestions, you should be getting pretty good grades. You won’t forget about any homework assignments because you’ll have written them all down. You shouldn’t run short on time since you did your homework right after school. And you should get good grades since it’s all been checked over.

Hope this helps, Homeworkers! Now hit the books.

For helpful tips on after school activities check out our Blog post.

- John

Hey, Camp Fans!

You know your education doesn’t always have to happen within the walls of a school building, right? In fact, throughout you entire life, you’ll probably do most of your learning outside of school. Just think of how much you learn every year at summer camp!

Today I’m talking about the history of the Mexican Independence Day. Contrary to common belief, Mexican Independence Day is celebrated today and not on the fifth of May as so many people think it to be. Cinco de Mayo is actually Mexico’s regaining of their freedom in 1862 from the short-lived French invasion. Their freedom from Spain is much more important to the people of Mexico.

September 16, 1810 is the day that one Father Miguel Hidalgo, a Catholic priest, literally rounded people up from the markets and streets of Mexico to declare their independence from Spain. Hidalgo’s rallying is known as the Cry of Delores. Hidalgo gathered more than 600 men in a matter of minutes and by the end of his leadership had amassed an army of 80,000.

Spain had ruled Mexico for hundreds of years and, despite the revolt in 1810, the war for freedom lasted 11 years. In those eleven years guerilla warfare ensued in Mexico wherever Father Hidalgo led his growing, angry mob of rebels to take Mexico back from every Spaniard they could find.

Regarded as one of their most important holidays, September 16 is celebrated in Mexico with dances, parades, and festivals. And on the night of the 15th, there’s an annual reenactment put on by mayors and other local politicians of Father Hidalgo’s Cry of Delores speech in which they ring the very bell Father Hidalgo did over 200 years ago and give the same speech that rallied hundreds.

The crowd cheers and fireworks explode in the sky!

So the next time someone tries to tell you that Cinco De Mayo is the Mexican Independence Day, you’ll know better. Till next time, Readers.

Hey, Summer Camp Lovers!

You know who else went to summer camp when he was younger? Batman! Okay, I guess I really don’t know whether Bruce Wayne went to summer camp in his fictional youth or not, but Ben Affleck did. An alumnus of Crossroads For Kids which is located in Massachusetts, summer camp was a great influence on Ben when he was a kid.

Not just an actor, Ben Affleck has made his name as a screenwriter too and has won an Academy Award as well as a Golden Globe for his roles as a director and co-writer for the film Good Will Hunting. Lots of films that Ben’s been a part have been summer blockbusters and classics.

With leading roles in films such as Armageddon, The Sum of All Fears, Pearl Harbor, Daredevil, The Town, and lots more, Ben Affleck has become an incredibly successful and recognized Hollywood figure.

Though born in Berkeley, California, Ben’s parents moved to Massachusetts when he was quite young. When he was eight, he met a neighborhood kid—a 10-year-old Matt Damon. Matt Damon (the other co-writer of Good Will Hunting) is actually Ben’s tenth cousin, once removed. They went to school together and became the best of friends even though they weren’t the same age or in the same grade.

Ben found himself pursuing his acting career in Hollywood before finishing college. Knowing his potential, he quit school to focus solely on acting. And now that he’s made his claim to fame already, it seems that he’s just getting going as he is now stepping into the role of Bruce Wayne and his alter ego, Batman.

The sequel to the 2013 film Man of Steel is currently being called Batman vs. Superman and is set to come out in 2015.

So the lesson to learn from Ben Affleck, kids, is that going to summer camp can land you a position as a superhero. Are you up to the task?

Hey, Parents!

I’m sure that most of you would say that you feel confident that their kids know not to get into a stranger’s vehicle—no matter what the circumstances. But no matter how many times you’ve talked to your kids about a topic as important as this, it can’t hurt to have it at least one more time.

Well, here are some tips from us at Everything Summer Camp to make talking to your kids solid and effective!

Be Specific

First of all, get specific with your kids about getting into a stranger’s vehicle. Think of scenarios that might play out and warn your kid about them. For instance, maybe your kid would get into a strangers car if the stranger said that they weren’t going to drive anywhere. Make your child aware that even a vehicle that isn’t going anywhere is off limits.

Resisting Temptations

Unfortunately there are a lot more temptations than just candy that kids have to say no to nowadays. Temptations are getting bigger and better. It’s easy to turn down bubble gum but can your child say no to a free iPad? What if they’re offered a chance to be on TV? Would they give out they’re address and information? Talk to your kids about the lengths that people may go to in order to get their information.

Keep a Short List

What you should tell your kid is that he or she is only to take rides from specific people. Make it a rule. And keep the list short. Only take rides from parents and grandparents—short and sweet. The point in keeping the list a short one is that you don’t want a bunch of names clouding up your kid’s head. The more people, the more complicated the message.

My very own niece, Ally—who I’ve babysat for, knows that she’s not allowed to get into my car unless my brother or sister-in-law have told her otherwise. It just makes things easier this way.

- John