Click the links above for more information about specific Outdoor Science School programs and locations. You can also access all of our downloadable program information packets through this webpage.

Imagine arriving Monday at Camp Kiwanilong or Magruder after lunch... Settling into cabins and then practicing teamwork, cooperation and creativity via team challenge... Eating dinner and then identifying common marine mammals of the Northwest coast... Discovering the amazing adaptations of marine mammals... Spending most of Tuesday focusing on freshwater aquatic ecology, collecting lake creatures in nearby lakes; observing them through microscopes; testing the water quality by measuring the pH; comparing the creatures with the macro-invertebrates found in the lake; learning about the water cycle in an active way...

More info on coastal ecology programs....

Arriving at Cascade Science School after lunch... Spending the afternoon hiking in the Tumalo Valley with OMSI staff... Learning about different types of volcanoes and what makes volcanoes work... Venturing to nearby lava tubes and Newberry Crater National Volcanic Monument to see the evidence of past Cascade volcanic activity?Returning to Cascade Science School for a delicious dinner... Making and erupting a model volcano... Getting up the next morning and working with others to solve mental and physical challenges through fun, team-building techniques... Wishing camp could would last forever...

More info on forest and stream ecology and volcanic geology programs....

Arriving at Hancock Field Station after lunch and spending the afternoon learning about topographic maps and the use of orienteering compasses... Challenging yourself to follow orienteering courses that others built during an Orienteering Interest Group... Spending the evening preparing for how to use field guides, maps, and GPS devices... Studying characteristics of invasive versus native plant species and basic concepts of conservation biology. ...Collaborating with the National Park Service in identifying and mapping invasive plant species from the John Day Fossil Beds National Monument and wrapping up the morning experience with a focus on ethnobotany, studying the traditional Native American uses of plants in the area and connecting their research with traditional ecological knowledge... Concluding with discussing and creating foods, basketry, cordage, weapons and medicines made from local plants.

More info on arid lands ecology and fossil programs....