Released Dec. 12, 2007

AMES, Iowa -- The holiday season is upon us and that difficult decision lingers on the minds of parents, grandparents and other relatives of what’s the best gift to give a child. This year, give a present they will remember forever and consider a “Gift of Camp,” suggests Traci Haselhuhn, program director at the Iowa 4-H Center near Madrid.

Unique, memorable, and rewarding, the "Gift of Camp" is a great opportunity for children to spend time outdoors and experience an adventure away from home, all while making friends and memories to last a lifetime, Haselhuhn says.

She suggests that gift givers can tuck a camp gift certificate in a new backpack, roll it in a sleeping bag, or wrap it around a new flashlight.

Haselhuhn says, “Camp is a wonderful chance to learn independence, make friends and have fun in the process. Everyone here is a big family.”

The Iowa 4-H Center offers camps for kids ranging of all ages. From one-day and first -me overnight camps, leadership development and extreme adventure getaways, to camps for the whole family, there’s a summer camp designed for every child's needs and interests.

“It’s hard to put a finger on what exactly kids gain from attending camp, but what it comes down to is the value of experience; having a chance to sleep in a cabin with bunk mates and gain an experience away from home.”

The American Camp Association (ACA) offers a Web Site resource from which the certificates can be printed. Some 2,400 camps appear at: http://www.CampParents.org/giftcamp.php

The Iowa 4-H Center is a joint project of the Iowa 4-H Foundation and Iowa State University Extension. Find out more at http://www.iowa4hcamp.com, call (515) 795-3338 or email 4hcentermail@iastate.edu.

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http://www.extension.iastate.edu/news/2007/dec/391201.htm

Contacts: Traci Haselhuhn, (515) 795-3338, tracidh@iastate.edu

Carol Ouverson, (515) 294-9640, couverso@iastate.edu