Top Five Reasons Why Fruit Break Is Wicked Awesome

5. A Ten minute break between activities, sports and programs to refuel, relax and laugh with friends in the shade.

4. An apple a day might not keep the doctor away like the saying goes, but studies have shown that with the right about of fruit and vegetables a day, it is undeniably great for your health and immune system. One apple qualifies as one of the five to ten servings of fruit and vegetables recommended by the American Cancer Society that help reduce the risk of heart disease, cancer and stoke.

3. Just one serving of fruit revives your system with essential vitamins, antioxidants, fiber and water to help you keep going while climbing the rock wall, swimming in the lake, or volleying in tennis.

2. Eating fresh fruit gets you in the habit of eating something more nutritious for a snack instead of choosing one that is unhealthy and filled with sugar. This habit will lead to a better, healthier and happier life.

1. Nothing beats the juicy goodness of a peach or plum and the crisp first bite of an apple or pear!

Summer Camp: The Perfect Holiday Gift

The holiday season is at hand and so many of us find ourselves searching for that perfect present for the children in our lives. Sure there are Kindles, iPads, and Wiis, but we’re looking for the gift that will last far beyond fads and trends…the one that lasts long after the decorations have been taken down. Have you thought about contributing to a summer at camp? Not only is it a unique gift that gives back, it’s the gift the children in your life can enjoy months after the holiday season has ended. Summer camp allows them to make new friends, to become part of a summer family, and to cherish memories that will last a lifetime. It’s also the gift that will help them learn how to understand ritual, routine, and being part of something bigger than themselves. Countless people of note have attributed the role of summer camp as an integral part of the people they ultimately became. Denzel Washington credits his acting career to a summer camp experience. Michael Eisner gives summer camp credit for shaping a large portion of his identity.

Sitting around a campfire, eating s’mores, participating in special events at camp, being part of a cabin , making that special project in arts and crafts, learning a backhand in tennis, and scoring that homerun are the significant moments that build children’s lives. It’s also the gift that children cherish for a lifetime. Friends made at camp are friends for life and many present and former campers count their camp friends as some of their closest and most dear. The memories and experiences from summer camp reach far beyond the scope of, ‘What gifts did I get that year?’ They reach into the realm of: ‘That’s what helped shape my life.’ President Barack and First Lady Michelle Obama saw the value in sending their daughter Malia to summer camp last year. Former President George W. Bush is also a summer camp alum. Long after children have moved past smart pads and video game systems, they will remember their experiences at summer camp. So this year, when you’re thinking of what to give the special children in your life, consider the gift of summer camp.

“Peaceful Easy Feeling…”

If you’re a child of the ‘70s you may recall the Eagles’ line from “Peaceful Easy Feeling” – the one about “a billion stars all around.”

Where have they all gone?

It’s hard today to see stars. Between ambient light and air pollution, the night sky is no longer the marvel it once was.

In the 21st century, most kids don’t get a chance to see a billion stars all around. And their connection to nature is not much better during the day.

Between schoolwork, extracurricular activities and countless other demands, they’ve got little time to themselves. What free time they do have is often spent inside, in front of computer screens and video games. Not in the great outdoors.

Among the many unheralded benefits of camp, there’s this one. It’s a rare chance for children to encounter nature in its relatively wild state.
Not in a city park, or a suburban lawn – but away from crowds, in hills, forests and fields, on rivers and lakes.

Human beings are hard-wired to need nature,” notes a recent documentary, “Play Again.” The film warns of the “consequences of a childhood removed from nature.”

Camp is one place where youngsters meet nature on its own terms. Hiking, fishing, boating, just running in a field of grass, boys and girls experience nature in all its peace, simplicity and glory.

Kids watch animals unfettered by cages. (And in Maine, they may be lucky enough to spot a moose.) They discover the wonderful smell of flowers, woods and fields. They feel rain, sun, and the cool breeze of an autumn evening.

And one night, they look up in the Maine sky. There – as if by magic – they see a billion stars, all around.