Month: January 2019

What makes Camping a Great Family Vacation

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Camping with the family can be a great vacation idea. It is rare to see families enjoying time together anymore, the kids are usually doing their own thing while the parents do theirs. Camping is a way to get away from your normal everyday lives and spend some quality time together.

Do you remember back when you were just a young kid and Dad would come home from work and say, lets go fishing? I remember when I was around ten years old my Dad would come home from work and say hey kid do lets get our rods and go fishing. I was not much on the fishing but I did love the one on one time that I had with my dad on those fishing trips, but what I liked most were the family vacation camping trips. So maybe your family was not like mine, but it is never too late to have a family vacation camping trip.

Some camping areas have log cabins, boat ramps, paddle boats, and many more activities that will make your family vacation camping trip the best family vacation ever. Families can rent cabins and spend a weekend and sometimes a week cooking out and fishing and swimming.

When camping, you might want to bring a radio so that you can keep up with the weather, but other than that, you really do not need any electronic devices. During the day you could fish, swim, and play volleyball maybe even some badminton. Sandwiches are always a family favorite and easy meal when on a camping trip. After lunch, mom and dad can hunker down, enjoy a good book, and relax while the kids play. Nature hikes are a great way to spend some of your family vacation time when on a camping trip.

Camping is a good and fun way to bring the family back together. Camping does not have any distractions such as a cell phone, Gameboy, or television. Sit around a campfire and eat smores while telling scary stories until you fall asleep. Your family will love the closeness and fun time memories you are creating.

Camping in log cabins is not the only way to enjoy camping. You can camp in tents and RVs as well. It is even fun to camp out underneath the stars. Having the stars as your roof is beautiful and you will be able to look for constellations and falling stars while you lay in your sleeping bag.

There is nothing like hanging out with your family playing games and fishing on a camping trip. Many families have a family vacation camping trip family reunion. Imagine having about 100 or more family members to come together and share recipes, pictures, and just catch up on family news. For such a large group you might want to cheat a little and have barbeque catered in for the whole family, but it will still be a lot of fun.

What is so sad is that young people today just are not into camping. They are more into television or Gameboys or cell phones. A family vacation is a time to get to know each other again, regain closeness, and get away from the rat race of everyday life. A family vacation camping trip is a time to relax and enjoy one on one time with the family. Camping trips make the best family vacations!

Youth Ministry Ideas Recreation In Youth Ministry Things To Consider

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In order for recreation to most effectively minister and encourage the highest number of youth it should de-emphasize athletic ability, individual performance, and “winning at all costs”. There are six factors to avoid in planning recreation for youth:

1. Make sure no one is left out;
2. Beware of negative reinforcement;
3. Beware of mismatching youth;
4. Beware of creating psychological stress;
5. Beware of setting youth up for failure; and
6. Beware of over-organization.

In light if these, youth recreation must

1. Emphasize group effort,
2. Encourage total participation,
3. Provide fun for all,
4. Present as many everyone wins situations as possible,
5. Mix planned activities with free time keeps youth from being bored and allows them some freedom to do their own thing.
6. Competition should emphasize the team and not the individual.

Initiative and cooperative games, which emphasize group problem solving make the problem the opponent instead of another person or team. The conquering of these problems as a team effort

1. Builds unity and a sense of group identity,
2. Promotes communication,
3. Encourages cooperation, and
4. Develops trust among team members.

There are several considerations in choosing activity for youth:

1. safety
2. age of the group
3. sex
4. ability of group members
5. size of the group
6. personality of the group
7. the intended purpose of the activity

Edward Hayes (Recreational Activities Youth Education in the Church. Moody Bible Institute, Chicago: 1978. pp 308-323) says youth leaders must account for the basic characteristics of recreation:

1. activity
2. variety of form
3. use of unobligated time
4. voluntary participation
5. flexibility
6. purposeful behavior
7. promotion of socially accepted and thoroughly Christian behavior.

Other considerations:

1. A recreational activity must include as many safety precautions as possible.
2. The age of the group is a factor because different ages of youth will enjoy different games. Also, at younger age groups some youth may lack physical coordination and skill for highly competitive sports.
3. Even though girls can engage in most of the same activities with boys, some activities are best not used with coed groups, especially those that involve highly physical interaction. Also, girls do not necessarily enjoy male dominated sports such as football.
4. The size of the group is important. It is difficult to have a volleyball game with two people. Other games and recreational activities may be inappropriate for large groups.
5. The personality of the group, its likes and dislikes is another important factor. The best game is one that works for your specific group of youth.

Reasons Why People Go For Extended Stays At Hotels

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Hotels are usually meant for brief stays or tours and vacations. Yet, sometimes it does happen that you may need to stay on in a city for a longer period than you had planned for. In such times, you must find a temporary place to stay which would let you extend your stay as per your need, be it a week, a month or even a year.

Such travelers or guests who check into the hotel for an extended stay are different from the regular travelers who stay for just a few days or so. Lets discuss this concept of extended stay in detail.

History

The concept of extended stay hotels originated in 19th century in England. In the USA it was pioneered by Jack DeBoer who founded the Residence Inn, an extended stay hotel meant for travelers looking for temporary housing.

There are various reasons why people choose to stay on at hotels away from their homes for long periods of time. These are:

Reason no. 1 – Relocation

You have relocated for a new job and are looking for a nice and safe place to stay. Extended stay accommodations are an ideal option until you find a house for yourself since it is fully furnished and offers some added house-keeping facilities which you wouldnt get if you were to simply rent an apartment or suite.

Reason no. 2 – Extended project

An extended stay hotel is suitable for a business traveler who is working on a long-term project which requires him to stay in a different city and away from his family and home.

Reason no. 3 – Buying a home
If you are buying a new home and in the meantime are looking for a place to stay which provides all the comforts of home, extended stay hotels are perfect for the interim duration.

Reason no. 4 – Refurbishing

Many people also prefer to stay on at a hotel when renovating or refurbishing their homes to avoid getting in the way of the construction activity. Hotels that offer extended stay lodging facilities provide a good alternative to the option of taking up temporary housing elsewhere.

Reason no. 5 – Budget vacation

The current global meltdown has forced people to trim their vacation budgets considerably. In this scenario extended stay hotels offer an excellent option for a long yet inexpensive holiday with the family. The facilities and services provided by the extended stay hotels in San Diego, Chicago or any other city are at par with the comforts a typical home would provide, and so it is like taking your home with you on the vacations.

Reason no. 6 – Global recession

The recent recession in the economy has also caused numerous people to look for temporary housing for various reasons, a prime cause being foreclosure. Extended stay hotels help people endure the crisis of home loss during such hard times.

Reason no. 7 – Value added facilities

Extended stay hotels provide more facilities than a regular hotel. Here is what you get by staying at extended stay hotels:

Home like ambience where you can stay for as long as you want.

You get all the facilities and amenities which are required to stay in a home. Rooms come fully equipped with microwave, TV, telephone, air conditioning, whirlpool and many other amenities.

Other facilities such as maid services, laundry facilities and continental breakfast are also provided.

Extended stay hotels have thus become a reliable option for long term accommodations. If you are looking for a hotel for extended stay, dont forget to check out its weekly and monthly package rates. Also find out what added facilities the hotel offers to its guests who opt for extended stays.