Summer Camps in North Carolina: Betsy-Jeff Penn 4H Education Center

Betsy-Jeff Penn 4H Education Center, located near the North Carolina and Virginia border, offers an intriguing mix of modern facilities in a woodland setting. Lakes, streams, rivers, and even a miniature waterfall can be found here, right alongside cement walkways, modern single-sex, A-Frame cabins, and campers walking around with GPS handhelds. This is the perfect camp for the youngster who wants to have the ruggedness of a camping experience while still attached to the space-age world.

Several special programs are offered at Betsy-Jeff Penn that lend to part of it's identity as a 4H Education Center. The Environmental Education Program, designed for 2^nd through 6^th grade students, utilizes the 220 acres of property to properly educate campers on the basics of how nature works. During the day, the campers go on several different hikes, focusing the diversity of nature and all its interactive, moving parts. Specific classes are offered to educated campers on different bugs, birds, pioneer living, and water life. At night, campers conduct mini-scientific experiments.

If you feel that your camper or special group needs some character building (or can help build character), maybe the Soaring through Spaces camp is the perfect fit. Campers participate in high and low ropes courses, special obstacles, and real life puzzles that are designed to challenge a camper into getting out of what they are used to and into what they can learn from. Each fun activity has a lesson to be learned, especially in team building.

The exploring type of camper might enjoy the Outdoor Research In Environmental Science, Navigation and Technology program, or O.R.I.E.N.T. This program was started in 2005 with a generous grant from the Burroughs Welcome Fund, and focuses on using Global Positioning System (GPS) technology to help children explore the 200+ acres of camp ground in a different light. The O.R.I.E.N.T. program uses the growing geocaching game to teach real-life science and math lessons. Geocaching involves campers getting specific latitude and longitude to a location, finding a small treasure box, and receiving small prizes while leaving prizes for others to find later. This is perfect for the young treasure seeker in your home.

If you want your camper to just have an overall camping experience, just register him or her for one of the 8 weeks of residential summer camp. Horseback riding, canoeing, s'mores-making, crafts, swimming, archery...the list goes on and on of what a camper can do in 6 days at Betsy-Jeff Penn! All activities are designed to be age-appropriate and age-grouped from the first day so that little campers don't get run over by the older campers.

Overall, Betsy-Jeff Penn is a perfect experience for campers who like the mix of nature and technology. It's also a great site to hold conferences for special groups that want to get away from the city and learn new things in a different environment. For more information, go to their well-designed website listed below.