June 27, 2010
Hello & Happy Summer! Having just returned from our first summer campout with all of our original campers (no less), I thought I'd celebrate by sending out this quarter's newsletter...
Camping Activity of the Quarter:
The Water Bottle Knot
The Water Bottle Knot
If you’re looking for a good scout craft that's both practical and useful, try this new knot! My 9 year-old taught me this knot and read on the web that it's useful for both hooking on your belt or hanging water bottles in the stream to take advantage of Mother Nature's refrigeration (50-60 degrees).
Start by getting some short lengths of rope or cord (18-24 inches for the belt loop; 5-12 feet for the creek-cooler line).
Check out this step-by-step guide and try it out!
Camping Tip of the Quarter:
Watch the Stars
Watch the Stars
One of the benefits of getting out into the woods, is the night sky! Without all of the light pollution that many cities and suburbs have, you can see constellations and details in the sky that are breath-taking.
There are also a few meteor showers that are worth catching, if your camping trip timing and location are right. Here's a few to watch...
- Aquarids: July 28-29; 20 meteors per hour.
- Capricornids: July 29-30; 15 meteors per hour.
- Perseids: August 12-13; 60 meteors per hour.
For the best viewing, look near the constellation Perseus.
Product Review of the Quarter:
The Orion GoScope 70
My 11 year-old son is our family's resident astronomy expert (provided me with the above meteor shower details!). He also recently bought a new telescope that he's very smitten with: the Orion GoScope 70. I posted his review here. Check it out..especially if you have a teen or pre-teen that enjoys looking at the heavens. As a parent, I like it's compactness and pack-ability. Our old telescope took up half of a closet, was not worth packing, and added to our home's clutter?!
Also, for more camping gift ideas, be sure to check out the Gifts for Campers.
That's all for this quarter. I hope that you & your families have a wonderful summer and some great campouts!!
Happy Camping!
- Mike