Chestnut Ridge Camp and Retreat Center

Offers a selection of informative, interactive and experientially-based programs in outdoor and environmental education.

Preview your trip on the web: Chestnut Ridge Camp and Retreat Center

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• NatureServe Explorer An authoritative source for information on more than 60,000 plants, animals, and ecosystems of the United States and Canada. Includes particularly in-depth coverage for rare and endangered species.
• EEK! Environmental Education for Kids An electronic magazine for kids in grades 4-8 and their teachers too that features constantly changing information, games, and activities about nature and the environment.
• Educational in Nature A series of environmental education curriculum supplements designed to foster understanding and environmental awareness in the classroom. These activities, games, lesson plans, and information cover such topics as forests, animals, recycling, and energy.
• Lesson plan: More Than Just a Rainy Day--the Water Cycle Students will identify water sources in the school environment in order to understand the origins of our water and to gain perspective about the students' place in the water cycle. Students will learn about the water cycle using a variety of resources and discover connections between the water cycle and the water that they use every day.
• Lesson plan: Animal environments: Day 2 Students will group animals using common characteristics. Students will develop an understanding of animal adaptations. This lesson is one in a series of lessons: Understanding Animal Adaptation: Day 1; Animal Environments: Day 2; Diamante Poetry Using Environments: Day 3. This is lesson two.
• Lesson plan: Pond life Students investigate familiar and unfamiliar ecosystems using Internet resources. They explore how various organisms satisfy their needs within their environments and study the kinds of relationships that exist between organisms within an environment.

Related pages

• Horizons Unlimited: This wonderful education center and museum provides hands-on programs for students in the areas of history and the physical and biological sciences.
• Catawba Science Center: Students will enjoy visiting the Catawba Science Center, a hands-on museum, where learning is fun!
• Betsy-Jeff Penn 4-H Educational Center: This 4-H Educational Center provides year-round programming, including team-building and environmental education to students in 2nd through 6th grades.

Related topics

• Learn more about Herpetology, North Carolina, Orange County, adaptations, amphibians, aquatic animals, aquatic plants, arts, astronomy, biology, crafts, environmental science, food chain, geology, habitats, herbs, mammals, meteorology, nature centers, orienteering, physics, plants, predators, reptiles, science, soils, tracking, water, and wildlife.

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This Methodist camp offers environmental science, biology and life science, geology, and physical science programs for school groups. “Each program has been assembled with a thematic unity and careful attention to the North Carolina Standard Course of Study.” CLAWS (Creative Learning About Wildlife Species) educators lead programs such as adaptations, habitats, wildlife tracking and mammals to visiting students.

Chestnut Ridge is also home to a joint venture herpetology study with UNC Greensboro. Visiting students can participate in tracking, identifying, and reporting on turtles, salamanders and other herps.

Programs are available for 1/2-day, full day, and overnight. Contact Rhonda Parker, director of Camp Chestnut, for information at info@campchestnutridge.org or call (919)338-2820.

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