2025 Nocturnal Camp

Nocturnal Camp at ONSC's Main Campus

📅 Saturday, Nov 22 – Tuesday, Nov 25, 2025

📍ONSC's Main Camps – 1905 Madison 1305, Huntsville, AR 72740

⭐Ages 8 - 16

🌙 Explore the secrets of the night! This 4-day, 3-night overnight camp is all about nocturnal wildlife, astronomy, and nighttime adventures under the stars. ✨

As the sun sets and darkness descends, another world awakens. At ONSC’s Nocturnal Camp, campers explore the nighttime world while the daytime dwellers are sleeping.

Highlights include

🌿 Guided naturalist-led hikes through our scenic trails

🔥 Campfire nights with s’mores and storytelling

🦉 Hands-on nature science activities

🚶 Creek walks and stream studies

🎨 Arts, crafts, and nature-based games

🌌 Stargazing and extended night hikes

Scholarships

We strive to make ONSC programs accessible and affordable for all. In addition to ONSC's regular scholarship fund, we have been given a generous grant from the Walton Family Foundation so we can provide more camp scholarships. Apply here for a scholarship.

Registration

Step 1: Purchase tickets below

Step 2: Complete the Camper Registration Form​ for each camper

Step 3: Be on the lookout for a packing list and info packet which will be sent out before camp to the email address you provided!

Lodging and Meals

Campers stay in our comfortable, climate-controlled lodges and are assigned to rooms by age and gender. Throughout the weekend, we'll enjoy delicious, kid-friendly meals in our dining hall.

Chaperones

We have a limited number of free tickets for parent chaperones. We will need at least one male and one female chaperone for each age group with a maximum of 6 total chaperones. We strive to assign chaperones to field groups that don't include their own child(ren), to allow all students an authentic feeling of "camp independence." However, exceptions are made on a case-by-case basis.

An interview and background check are required to become a chaperone. 

More ONSC Camps

We have 2-day, 3-day and 4-day camps scheduled throughout the year. Visit www.onsc.us/camps to learn more about all of our camps!

Tentative camp schedule and details

(Note: specific classes and activities are subject to change)

Day 1 

• 7:30am - Arrival, check in at pavilion, parents assist campers with lodge move-in 

• 8am - Staff-Parent-Camper Meeting in Ewing Center 

  • *Note: Parents can leave their camper with us at 8am if they've attended the virtual meeting, or after the meeting concludes. Parents may stay for the lodge orientation and additional move-in time if desired.

• 8:45am - Lodge Orientation (in each lodge), additional move-in time

• 9:45am - Camper Meeting 

• 10am - Name Games / Ice-Breakers

• 11am - Field Journal Activity 

• 12:30pm - Lunch

• 1pm - Field Investigation (guided hike)

• 3:30pm - Quiet Recreation Time

• 4:30pm - Class/Activity

• 6:30pm - Dinner  

• 7:30pm - Campfire

• 8:30pm - Night Hike or Night Class/Activity

Day 2

• 9am - Breakfast

• 9am - Field Investigation (guided hike)

• 12:30pm - Lunch

• 1pm - Class, Art Activities, and/or Recreation Time

• 3pm - Field Investigation (guided hike)

• 6:30pm - Dinner  

• 7:30pm - Campfire

• 8:30pm - Extended Night Hike and/or Night Class/Activity

Day 3

• 9am - Breakfast

• 9am - Field Investigation (guided hike)

• 12:30pm - Lunch

• 1pm - Class, Art Activities, and/or Recreation Time

• 3pm - Field Investigation (guided hike)

• 6:30pm - Dinner  

• 7:30pm - Campfire

• 8:30pm - Extended Night Hike and/or Night Class/Activity

Day 4

• 9am - Breakfast

• 10am - Field Investigation (guided hike)

• 12:30pm - Lunch

• 1pm - Lodges - packing

• 2pm - Recreation Time (active and quiet options)

• 3pm - Class/Activity

• 4:30pm - Group Photo and Camp Stories

• 5pm - Dinner

• 5-6pm - Parents Arrive, Gift Shop, Departure

Guided Hike Topics

Natural Science Topics – Adaptations and Natural Selection, Food Webs, Geology and the Rock Cycle, Human and Cultural History (Osage Native Americans and Settlers), Phenology and Seasonal Changes, Succession and Natural History, Symbiosis, Water Quality-Biotic and Abiotic Testing, Weather, Weathering and Erosion, Watersheds, and The Four Spheres: Atmosphere, Biosphere, Geosphere, & Hydrosphere

Wilderness Exploration Topics – Mentality for Outdoor Exploration, Physical Preparedness, Wilderness Safety, Monitoring and Adjusting for Environmental Conditions, Emergency Action Plans, Comfort Management, Materials and Tools Found in Nature, Wild Edibles and Foraging, Water Quality and Purification

About Ozark Natural Science Center

ONSC offers a unique, immersion-based approach to learning about nature and the natural sciences. Students visit us for authentic science learning experiences that are correlated with national and state science learning standards and provide in-depth education in biology, ecology, geology, social studies, and nature art – all while students have fun hiking and experiencing nature. Camp activities include  hikes, team-building, games, art, and small-group activities.

Ticket Refund Policy

• Refunds up to 1 week before the event: Tickets are refundable minus any applicable fees (processing, administrative, etc.) until 7 days before the event.

• Refunds within 1 week of the event: For refund requests made less than 7 days prior to the event, a 50% refund will be given.

• No refunds within 24 hours of the event: Refund requests made within 24 hours of the event are not permitted, except in exceptional circumstances and only with approval from ONSC administration.

*Please note that all refund requests must be submitted in writing to jill.bowman@onsc.us. Refunds will be processed within 7-10 business days.

About the Instructors

Visit www.onsc.us/staff to learn more about our Teacher Naturalists and other staff.

Questions? Please email Program Manager, Breana Patterson at breana.patterson@onsc.us with any questions about ONSC Camps