What is “Science Camp”?
Science Camp is a 4-day, 3-night residential summer camp for children.  We offer both Pre-teen and Teen camp sessions.  Pre-teen camp is for campers ages 9-12, and Teen camp is for campers ages 13-16.  We run ten sessions throughout the summer, beginning in early June and ending in early-to-mid August.  The camp is located in Adams County, which is located about 70 miles east of Cincinnati.

How long has Science Camp been in existence?
Science Camp was started in 1978. The camp owes its existence to the generosity of George and Joan Rieveschl.  Dr. George Rieveschl, who invented the allergy drug Benedryl, donated land and a chalet to Cincinnati Museum Center in 1978.  The Chalet is where the campers sleep, eat, and relax between hikes.

Where is the camp located?
Science Camp is located in Adams County, Ohio, near the town of West Union.  It is approximately 70 miles east of Cincinnati.  The camp is held on a 16,000 acre private nature preserve.  The preserve is called the Richard and Lucile Durrell Edge of Appalachia Preserve System and is co-owned and co-managed by The Nature Conservancy and Cincinnati Museum Center.

Who runs the camp?
The camp is run by Cincinnati Museum Center staff.  Two full time staff run the camps. Two seasonal helpers also assist with camp operations.

Do the kids sleep in tents?
Nope.  The kids sleep in comfortable air-conditioned rooms inside the Rieveschl Chalet.  Campers sleep four to a room on bunk beds. Girls on one floor and boys on the other.

Are there outhouses?
Nope again.  The Chalet has a bathroom on both floors (one for the girls and one for the boys) with modern flush toilets and hot-water showers.

What would a typical day at camp be like for a camper?
After waking at 7:30am, campers eat breakfast in the Chalet and change into clothes appropriate for the morning’s activities.  Because we are such a small camp, we can decide at the spur of the moment what we’d like to do.  If the sun is shining and the birds are singing, we might decide to teach the campers how to identify songbirds using binoculars and by sound.  If it is raining, we might opt to do an indoor lesson on freshwater mussel ecology or identify fish using a dichotomous key.  During hot weather, we often take trips to creeks within the preserve to collect fish and crawdads for identification.  We always return to the Chalet for meals.

How old do campers need to be to attend camp?
Pre-teen camp sessions are for campers ages 9-12, while Teen sessions are for campers ages 13-16.

There are both Pre-teen and a Teen camp sessions, what’s the difference, besides age of campers?
One difference between Pre-teen and Teen camp sessions is that Teen sessions include a canoe float down Ohio Brush Creek, which is considered one of the top ten cleanest creeks in Ohio based on habitat and animal species found within the creek. The other is we go a little deeper into topics with the Teens.

How would Science Camp benefit my child?
Children spend so much of their time indoors these days.  They play video games, watch TV, talk on the phone, and may be losing touch with the incredible natural world around them.  Science Camp is an opportunity to get kids outside, to explore and learn about nature in a way that is both fun and educational.  Science Camp is also a chance to show children that careers in the field of natural science are worth looking into.  Maybe a child that loves insects would be inspired to look into entomology as a career.  Or a child that loves flowers might decide to explore botany as a career.   

It’s summertime; why would a kid want to learn about anything during his/her summer break?
When else do you get the chance to follow trained naturalists who are passionate about what they do and know so much about the inhabitants of the eastern forests and streams?  Children love to explore and they love animals.  We look at animals all day, every day at Science Camp.  In fact, we make it a challenge to see which group of campers can find the most different types of animals during the week.  The record is somewhere around 300 species over the course of 3.5 days.

What is the cost of camp?
Science Camp currently costs $270 per child.

What does the cost include?
The camp fee includes transportation from the drop-off location to/from camp, as well as transportation around the preserve.  The fee also includes overnight lodging, food, and use of equipment.

Are discounts or scholarships available?
Discounts are given for families that are current members of Cincinnati Museum Center or The Nature Conservancy.  Discounts are also given to residents of Adams County, where the camp is located.  Scholarships are available through several organizations, such as the Cincinnati Wildflower Preservation Society, Safari Club International, and Shawnee Nature Club, but their rules and qualifications for acquiring a scholarship vary. 

When does registration take place?
Registration begins in early February.  Camps are often full by mid-March, but late-comers can be placed on waiting lists.

How do parents find out more about camp?
Parents can contact Chief Naturalist, Jessica Huxmann at (937) 544-2880 x 14, or email her with questions at jhuxmann@hughes.net.  Parents can also check out the Cincinnati Museum Center’s website at cincymuseum.org.