Summer Overnight Camp at ONSC Main Campus

🏕️4-Day Overnight Summer Camp - Nature, Science, and Adventure🏕️

📅 Monday, June 1 – Thursday, June 4, 2026

📍ONSC Main Campus – 1905 Madison 1305, Huntsville, AR 72740

⭐Ages 8-16⭐

Get ready for a summer full of exploration, creativity, and adventure at ONSC’s 4-Day Overnight Camp! Campers will spend three nights at our Main Campus immersed in nature, science, and hands-on fun—both day and night.

Throughout the camp, campers will:

🔍 Embark on guided hikes and field investigations to observe wildlife and explore ecosystems

🌌 Experience night hikes and evening activities that showcase the wonders of the outdoors after dark

🎨 Get creative with eco-art projects, inspired by the natural beauty around them

💦 Cool off with water games and splashy summer fun

🎉 Participate in engaging group games and activities to stay active and connected

📝 Practice nature journaling, recording discoveries and reflections

🔬 Dive into hands-on science lessons that make learning about the Ozarks exciting and interactive

🎒 Overnight Backpacking Experience

All overnight campers will have the opportunity to participate in a guided overnight backpacking experience during their camp session.

Campers will:

🏕️ Take part in at least one overnight backpacking trip from ONSC’s Main Campus to our backcountry campground

🗺️ Have the option for off-site overnight trips, when age-appropriate

ONSC provides a complete backpacking kit for each camper, including:

🎒 Camping backpack or dry bag

⛺ Tent

🛏️ Sleeping bag and sleeping pad

🔦 Headlamp

🩹 First aid kit

🍽️ Dish kit

Throughout camp, campers will learn essential outdoor and backpacking skills, including:

🧳 How to pack lightly and efficiently for a backpacking trip (with a provided checklist)

👕 How to dress appropriately for camping and canoeing trips

⛺ How to set up a tent and keep gear organized and dry

🐻 How to properly hang a food bag to deter animals

🔥 How to safely start a campfire and cook over a fire

🧼 How to wash and care for camping dishes

🩹 How to use a basic first aid kit

🧭 How to troubleshoot common camping challenges, including wet gear, windy weather, starting a fire, minor injuries, and basic compass use

Before heading home, campers receive a take-home reference guide covering everything they’ve learned—empowering them to continue camping and exploring outdoors long after their ONSC experience ends.

📍 Located at ONSC’s Main Campus, this camp offers the perfect mix of outdoor adventure, creative expression, and immersive science experiences for campers ages 8–16.

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:

Students will stay in ONSC's lodges, and will be assigned to rooms by age and gender. 

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. 

Event Minimums & Cancellations

Please note: ONSC events require a minimum number of participants to cover overhead costs. If this minimum is not met, we reserve the right to cancel the event. Registered participants will be notified promptly and any fees paid will be fully refunded.

Sample camp schedule::

Day 1 - Monday

• 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 8:00am 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 

• 12pm - Lunch

• 1pm - Field Investigation (guided hike)

• 4:30pm - Downtime on the Deck

• 5:30pm - Dinner  

• 6:30pm - FrogWatch Class

• 7:30pm - Night hike

• Overnight in ONSC lodges with chaperones

Day 2 - Tuesday

• 8am - Breakfast

• 9am - Radio Tracking Class

• 10am - Field Investigation (guided hike)

• 12pm - Lunch

• 1pm - Eco-art and activities

• 2pm - Orienteering Class and Field Investigation (guided hike)

• 5:30pm - Dinner

• 6:30pm - Recreation Time (active and quiet options)

• 8:00pm - Astronomy in field

• Overnight in ONSC lodges with chaperones  

Day 3 - Wednesday

• 8am - Breakfast

• 9am - Ornithology Class & Binoculars Orientation

• 10am - Field Investigation (guided hike)

• 12pm - Lunch

• 1pm - Herpetology Class + Meet Cornelia the Corn Snake

• 2:00pm - Water Play Time 

• 5:30pm - Dinner  

• 6:30pm - Lunar Cycles Class

• 7:30pm - Campfire with Fire Building Lesson, Lorax play, and S’mores

• Overnight in ONSC lodges with chaperones  

Day 4 - Thursday

• 8am - Breakfast

• 9am - Field Investigation with Creek Critters Class (guided hike)

• 12pm - Lunch

• 1pm - Lodges - packing

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

• 3pm - Lorax Discussion

• 4pm - Group Photo and Camp Stories

• 5pm - Dinner

• 5-6pm - Parents arrive, store time, departure

2026 Summer Overnight Camps - all are 4-day/3-night camps unless otherwise noted

May 23-25, 2026(2-night stay) 

June 1-4, 2026

June 8-9, 2026 (1-night stay fledgling camp)

June 16-19, 2026

June 22-25, 2026

June 29-30, 2026 (1-night stay fledgling camp)

July 6-7, 2026 (1-night stay fledgling camp)

Guided Hike Topics Include (but are not limited to):

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 the Instructors:

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

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.

Questions? Please email Programs and Communications Manager, Jill Bowman at jill.bowman@onsc.us with any questions about ONSC Overnight Camps.