Join us for the Winter Solstice Campout at the Lake of the Ozarks Scout Reservation and earn up to 4 Merit Badges in one weekend!

This exclusive event is limited to 52 youth participants only. (First-Come, First-Serve) Registrations will close once capacity is reached. Additionally, there are only 26 adult participant spaces open,

All Scouts, in addition to the program,  will receive a Swag Bag with a limited edition Winter Solstice patch, event t-shirt, and one-of-a-kind Winter Solstice Camping Bead.  Adults who register will also receive Swag Bag, the limited edition Winter Solstice patch, event t-shirt, and one-of-a-kind Winter Solstice Camping Bead.

• All participants will be provided with fine cuisine & hor d'oeuvre snacks, Not your every day camping meals!
• All Scouts who register and attend can earn up to four merit badges in a single weekend.
• Scounts will choose a specific track for Friday and Sunday Program, and select their rotation for the Saturday Program.

Sol Track:  This track will consist of taking the Digital Technology Merit Badge.  To earn this merit badge, scouts will attend the Digital Technology Merit Badge class on Friday evening and again on Sunday Morning.  Scouts who choose this track will be required to attend both classes to earn the Digital Technology Merit Badge.

Luna Track:  This track will consist of taking the Chess Merit Badge.  To earn this merit badge, scouts will attend the Chess Merit Badge class on Friday evening and again on Sunday Morning.  Scouts who choose this track will be required to attend both classes to earn the Chess Merit Badge.

Saturday Program: Saturday's Program will consist of a round-robin for each scout with the opportunity to earn three Merits Badges.  Every Scout will rotate between three merit badge classes throughout the day.  At the completion of Saturday's Program every scout will have rotated through Woodworking, Scouting Heritage, and Citizenship in Society.  

• Autumn Rotation: Woodworking/ Scouting Heritage/ Citizenship in Society***
• Winter Rotation: Scouting Heritage/ Citizenship in Society***/ Woodworking
• Spring Rotation: Citizenship in Society***/ Woodworking/ Scouting Heritage

*** Citizenship in Society Prerequisites are: Requirements 2a-b, 3a, 7a-b, & 8 need to be completed beforehand for class discussion.

Information Summary:

What is the Winter Solstice?

The winter solstice marks the exact moment when half of Earth is tilted the farthest away from the sun. It usually happens on December 21 or 22, at the exact same second around the world.

Because less sunlight reaches Earth, the winter solstice is also the day of the year with the least amount of daytime, known as the shortest day of the year. But the good news is that every day after the winter solstice will be a little longer, until we reach the day with the most hours of daylight. Called the summer solstice, it usually occurs between June 20 and June 22.

Can you see the solstice?

Yes—kind of. On the winter solstice, if you stand outside at noon and look at your shadow, it will be the longest shadow you cast the entire year. Every day, the sun rises in the east and sets in the west, tracing an arc across the sky. The height of that arc changes during Earth’s yearly orbit around the sun. As our planet orbits, one pole is tilted toward the sun, and one pole is tilted away from it. During winter in the Northern Hemisphere, the North Pole is tilted away from the sun, so the height of the arc is low—and your shadow looks long.

In fact, during the days around the winter solstice, the sun is so low on the horizon that it appears to rise and set in the same place. That’s why the word solstice can be translated to "sun stands still' in Latin.

Register today!