Important Parking Update

The UNC-owned Morehead parking lot is currently under reconstruction. Visitors must now pay using ParkMobile (Zone Code 4468). Find more updated parking information on our Plan A Visit page.

Schedule Update

Due to UNC’s Spring Holiday, Morehead Planetarium and Science Center will be closed on Friday, March 29.

Camp Descriptions & Dates

Grades K-1 Hours

  • Morning Drop-off: 8:45 a.m. – 9 a.m.
  • Morning Camp: 9 a.m. – 12 p.m.
  • Morning Pick-up: 12 p.m.
  • Lunch Care*: 12 p.m. – 1 p.m.
  • Afternoon Drop-off: 12:45 p.m. – 1 p.m.
  • Afternoon Camp: 1 p.m. – 4 p.m.
  • Afternoon Pick-up: 4 p.m. – 4:15 p.m.

Grades 2-8 Hours

  • Morning Drop-off: 8:45 a.m. – 9 a.m.
  • Lunch: 12 p.m. – 1 p.m.
  • Camp in session: 9 a.m. – 4 p.m.
  • Afternoon Pick-up: 4 p.m. – 4:15 p.m.

Early Drop-off: 7:30 a.m. – 8:45 a.m.
Late Pick-up: 4:15 p.m. – 6:00 p.m.

*Lunch care is included at no extra charge and is only for campers in morning and afternoon camps.

Click here to download the 2024 Summer Science Camp Guide

Grades K-1 | Grades 2-3 | Grades 4-5 | Grades 6-8

Grades K-1 Camps

Dig It – Morning Program

Discover the treasures beneath your feet! Acting as geologists, “Fossil Finders” campers discover how rocks form. As paleontologists, they unearth fossils, and as biologists, they search for life underground. This camp really “rocks!” 

  • June 10 – June 14
  • June 24 – June 28
  • July 29 – August 2

The Air Up There Afternoon Program

Everyone has probably seen something flying through our skies. But what kinds of things can fly through the air and who made important discoveries about flight? We will answer these questions and more as we learn all about the science behind flight. Students will create, experiment with, and fly their own inventions every day. 

  • June 10 – June 14
  • June 24 – June 28 
  • July 29 – August 2 

Magic Tree House® Explorers Morning Program 

Like Jack and Annie, young campers will enter the Magic Tree House® for an exciting space mission. We will explore and learn about the International Space Station, visit a real live observatory, and take a closer look at the Moon in this exciting camp. Daily story time will be an important part of this Magic Tree House® journey! 

  • June 17 – June 21*  
  • July 8 – July 12 
  • July 22 – July 26 
  • August 5 – August 9 

*No camp will be held on Wednesday, June 19 in observance of Juneteenth. This will be reflected in camp pricing.

Constructed Creations Afternoon Program

Pyramids, bridges, arches, and towers—humans have built them all and, in this camp, you will too!  We will investigate the shapes and structures all around us, learn how major monuments were made, and apply those skills to design and build our own city!  

  • June 17 – June 21*
  • July 8 – July 12 
  • July 22 – July 26 
  • August 5 – August 9 

*No camp will be held on Wednesday, June 19 in observance of Juneteenth. This will be reflected in camp pricing.

Grades 2-3 Camps

Each Grades 2-3 camp listed below are full day sessions.

LABracadabra 

In the morning, campers will harness their inner magician as we explore the science of magic! Can you make water disappear? Can you make metal float? Learn the science behind amazing tricks and illusions and put your knowledge to the test as you prepare a science magic show. You’ll be on your way to becoming a Morehead magician as fast as you can say LABracadabra!  

In the afternoon, campers will explore how your brain controls everything you do. Learn about how important your brain is as you journey inside the body’s command center! Optical illusions, mazes, and even ice cream sundaes will help demonstrate how the brain controls your senses, actions, thoughts, and moods. Along the way, we might even discover how to boost your brain power!  

  • June 10 – June 14 
  • June 24 – June 28 
  • July 29 – August 2 

Magic Tree House® Inventors 

How many stars are in the starry night sky? If we flew to the Sun, how long would we fly? Will we travel to planets, and will it be soon? Will we ever be able to live on the Moon? How does if feel to journey through space? And why is our Earth so special a place? Discover the answers to these and more Magic Tree House® riddles about astronomy and space science! 

What toys use magnets? How do Frisbees fly? In the afternoon, campers will explore these questions and more as they use Newton’s laws of motion to create toy cars, make their own circuits, and experiment with flight. At the end of the week, campers will put on their hard hats and create their own toy inventions. 

  • June 17 – June 21*  
  • July 8 – July 12 
  • July 22 – July 26 
  • August 5 – August 9 

*No camp will be held on Wednesday, June 19 in observance of Juneteenth. This will be reflected in camp pricing.  

 Grades 4-5 Camps

Each Grades 4-5 camp listed below are full day sessions.

Interstellar Explorers

Blast off to adventure! In the morning, through hands-on activities and visits to the GSK Fulldome Theater, campers explore gravity, fusion, and the life cycle of stars. They also work together to create a “space station” where they can further explore the mysteries of space. 

What would you do if you found yourself in an unknown land? In the afternoon, campers will learn how to navigate using compasses, GPS units, the stars, and more! By the end of the week, they’ll add animal observation, fire building, and teamwork to their survival skillset. 

  • June 10 – June 14 
  • June 24 – June 28 
  • July 29 – August 2 

Mysteries of the Unknown

Let’s spend a week exploring chemistry in this exciting camp. In the morning, we will learn about atoms, molecules, acids, bases, and chemical reactions with a whole bunch of hands-on experiments! Campers will experiment with freezing points using ice cream and explore the science of fireflies by making their own glow sticks! 

Humans know more about the surface of the Moon than about Earth’s sea floor. In the afternoon, campers will explore the oceans by building a model submarine and taking a dive to learn how creatures use camouflage in the deep ocean. Design a new fish species and make a map of your own sea floor creations. There’s an ocean of mysteries waiting to be discovered! 

  • June 17 – June 21*  
  • July 8 – July 12 
  • July 22 – June 26 
  • August 5 – August 9 

*No camp will be held on Wednesday, June 19 in observance of Juneteenth. This will be reflected in camp pricing.  

SciVentures: Grades 6-8

SciVentures: ER 

Let’s take a trip to the Emergency Room…only this time for fun! In this SciVentures program, young scientists explore the fast-paced world of emergency medicine. From microscopes to stethoscopes, EKGs to EEGs, diagnose cases and try to solve medical mysteries the way health care professionals do. In the lab, learn basic first aid and use laboratory tools to identify microbes and pathogens. Explore UNC Hospitals and talk with the pros about what it takes to run an emergency room. Go on board an ambulance and get the inside story from emergency medical technicians. Turn on your sirens and grab your gear; Morehead’s taking you to the ER!  

  • June 10 – June 14 
  • June 24 – June 28 
  • July 29 – August 2 

SciVentures: Colonizing Mars

Why haven’t we been to Mars yet? In this full-day experience, participants will explore the answer to this question and more, as they learn about some of the essentials for space travel and colonization. Look into the history of space travel, build rockets, grow bacteria, test soil viability, and try to design a working human habitat for an alien planet in this SciVentures journey. 

  • June 17 – June 21*  
  • July 8 – July 12 
  • July 22 – July 26 
  • August 5 – August 9 

*No camp will be held on Wednesday, June 19 in observance of Juneteenth. This will be reflected in camp pricing.