A student arrived quiet and un-happy about being without a phone. By the middle of the camp session, that same student was out front on the hike to Pinecrest Dam, smiling for photos with her cabin group and calling into the trees at the chickarees. At the Lair’s Oski Science Camp, the shift can happen that quickly. A child who hangs back on the first day can be swept up by curiosity surrounded by pines and friends, held in the kind of attention that school doesn’t always make room for.
Through Oski Science Camp and its school-based demos at the Lair of the Golden Bear, the aim is not to recreate a classroom in the woods, but to put students inside science by letting them touch it, test it, and see how it lives in the world around them.
Fire science resonates because California students already know wildfires are part of life here. Students learn that what happens in the mountains does not stay in the mountains. Lessons on snowpack, water cycles, and weather patterns at 5,600 feet begin in the Sierra and trace their way back to the Central Valley and the Bay Area. Water, climate, and ecosystems connect their daily lives to a much larger system. The program includes learning about the local Mi-Wuk tribe and land acknowledgments, grounding the experience in history.
If you’re curious, you’re already a scientist.
Many students first learn of the Lair through science demos in their schools. Once in Pinecrest, their experience widens through experiments, outdoor exploration, campfire songs, night games, and time away from phones. For many students, this is their first time seeing snow, spending real time in a forest, or being away from home with classmates in a place that feels both expansive and safe.
That change in setting also changes who gets to feel at home in science. As the Lair Science Camp Developer, Lance Tyler Ultsch puts it, “If you’re curious, you’re already a scientist.” Students do not need to arrive with the right vocabulary, confidence, or ability in science. They are asked to form a hypothesis, test it, and stay open to what they find. The pressure to perform eases, and students who thought science was boring often end up leading experiments.
Students’ enthusiasm speaks to the program’s success. “I had the best day ever,” one wrote. Another said, “It’s peaceful here.” One student admitted expecting the trip to be boring, then left talking about friends, snow, and the food. Another wrote, “I feel like I can really zone in when I’m looking at nature.” These comments capture a real shift in attention and mood. Educators have seen the value as well. Michael Day of the Cal Alumni Association developed an inaugural sixth-grade Oski Science Camp for about 700 students. A teacher described it as the kind of science camp students will tell their kids and grandkids about.
The program is still growing. A revamped curriculum developed by Berkeley Professor of Integrative Biology, Paul Fine, and two of his graduate students aligns with California science requirements under California Assembly Bill 285. The opening of the new Lair Lodge is part of a broader effort to host more schools and bring more students into the experience. The larger ambition is clear. The Lair’s Oski Science Camp is being built not as a one-off trip, but as something closer to a rite of passage.
Explore Oski Science Camp here.
