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Scroll down for a complete listing of all Education Programs.
 
ZOO TROOP
Learning and growing is fun at the Cincinnati Zoo & Botanical Garden! These 4 week series encourages the development of important skills and values that will allow your child to interact with peers while fostering knowledge and respect for wildlife and wild places. Through age appropriate, skill and wonder-building hands-on activities, close encounters with animals, Zoo hikes, and child-led projects, children learn biological concepts and become curious to explore the world around them and find their own answers. Come to Zoo Troop, where children can let their imagination run wild!

New skills and experiences are learned in each 4-week Zoo Troop series. Newcomers are welcome to sign up for each new series.

Please note: The Zoo cannot prorate Zoo Troop fees and gift certificates will not be issued for missed classes. Participants who withdraw from Zoo Troop will receive a gift certificate which never expires and may be used for any Zoo camps or classes.
Toddlers: Count with Me!
Regular Price: $85.00
Member Price: $70.00
For 18-36 month olds
Join us in this four-week series as we learn to count. Practice counting animals, better yet toes, tails, and legs! We will meet animals face to face in the classroom, as well as in the Zoo when we go on our hike! Watch your child grow as they count with their classmates, all while sharing and working together.

Dates: Choose to come every Tuesday, Wednesday, Friday, or Saturday for 4 weeks in September*

Note: One adult must accompany each child. Adults are required to wear a mask while indoors. 
Toddlers: 1 2 3 Dance with Me!
Regular Price: $85.00
Member Price: $70.00
For 18-36 Month Olds
Jump like a lemur, swing like an elephant’s trunk, and groove to the beat with some neat counting tunes! Join us in this four-week series as we mimic animal music and movement, while finding our voices and working on our counting skills! We will meet some wild dancing friends face to face in the classroom and out in the Zoo.

Choose to come every Tuesday, Wednesday, Friday, or Saturday for 4 weeks.

Note: One adult must accompany each child. Adults are required to wear a mask while indoors. 
Pre-K: Critter Coverings
Regular Price: $85.00
Member Price: $70.00
For 3-4 year olds
Join us for this four-week series as we identify and discover animal coverings! We will touch fur, feathers, and scales, and explore with sight and sound. We will meet animals face to face in the classroom and out in the Zoo.

Choose to come every Tuesday, Wednesday, Friday, or Saturday for four weeks.

Note: One adult must accompany each child. PreK Zoo Troopers and Adults are required to wear a mask while indoors. 
Pre-K: Critter Classification
Regular Price: $85.00
Member Price: $70.00
For 3-4 year olds
What makes a mammal a mammal, or a bird a bird? Join us for this four-week series as we investigate and classify animals based on similarities! We will meet animals face to face in the classroom and out in the Zoo. With the same instructor and group each week we will communicate and share with our classmates, working together to classify our Zoo animals!

Choose to come every Tuesday, Wednesday, Friday, or Saturday for 4 weeks.

Note: One adult must accompanyeach child. PreK Zoo Troopers and Adults are required to wear a mask while indoors. 
Kindergarten: Animal Investigators
Regular Price: $90.00
Member Price: $75.00
Are you ready to become an animal investigator? Great! In this series, we will learn to identify the various body parts that animals have and check out all of the similarities and differences we can find. From claws to toes to a short or long nose, we’ll next explore how these body parts help each animal to survive.

Choose to come every Tuesday, Wednesday, or Saturday for four weeks. 

Note: Kindergarten Zoo Troopers attend class alone. Kindergarten Zoo Troopers are required to wear a mask while indoors. 
Kindergarten: The Inside Scoop
Regular Price: $90.00
Member Price: $75.00
We know that animals can look very different on the outside, but what about the inside? In this class, we will learn about bones, teeth, and digestive habits! Sometimes gross but always great, these things all help an animal to survive and can help investigators, like us, tell how animals that are similar can be grouped together.

Choose to come every Tuesday, Wednesday, or Saturday for 4 weeks.

Note: Kindergarten Zoo Troopers attend Zoo Troop alone. Kindergarten Zoo Troopers and Adults are required to wear a mask while indoors. 
1st-2nd Grade: We've Got You Covered!
Regular Price: $90.00
Member Price: $75.00
What is one of the easiest ways to distinguish one class of animals from another? Its physical coverings! Become a mini scientist as we develop our observation and data collection skills to take a closer look at plants, skin, scales, and fur!

Choose to come every Tuesday, Wednesday, or Saturday for four weeks.

Note: 1st-2nd grade Zoo Troopers and Adults are required to wear a mask while indoors. 
1st-2nd Grade: My Wild Family Tree
Regular Price: $90.00
Member Price: $75.00
Domestic vs. Wild—what is the difference?! Join us as we investigate our own domestic and wild Zoo residents to figure out how these two are truly wild ancestors! From your companion cat to the African cheetah, or the dog at your house to the African painted dog, these family members definitely have their similarities and differences. We will meet animals up close and out on our Zoo hike, practicing our observation and inquiry skills!

Choose to come every Tuesday, Wednesday, or Saturday for four weeks.

Note: 1st-2nd grade Zoo Troopers and Adults are required to wear a mask while indoors. 
3rd-4th Grade: Animal Oddballs
Regular Price: $95.00
Member Price: $80.00
You probably know that wolves and foxes are related, and that cheetahs and lions share a branch of the family tree, but what about those animal oddballs out there? Who is a sloth’s closest relative? What about hippos and aye-ayes? Some animal relatives are easy to figure out, but others are a bit tricky. From classroom animal encounters to hikes and hands-on activities, this four-week series will help us look closer at the wild, wonderful, and wacky creatures out there and trace their family trees to their, sometimes surprising, roots.

Choose to come every Tuesday, Wednesday, or Saturday for four weeks. 

Note: 3rd-4th grade Zoo Troopers and Adults are required to wear a mask while indoors. 
3rd-4th Grade: Winged Wonders
Regular Price: $95.00
Member Price: $80.00
Flight is a pretty amazing adaptation. Pair that with the fact that it appears in three independent animal classes, and you have one amazing example of convergent evolution. In this program, we will encounter animals in the classroom and on grounds that help us observe and explore the structures and behaviors that help animals fly, compare the ways that animals accomplish it, and use what we learn plus our own imaginations to create some new, flying species of our own.

Choose to come every Tuesday, Wednesday, or Saturday for four weeks.

Note: 3rd-4th grade Zoo Troopers and Adults are required to wear a mask while indoors. 
5th-6th Grade: Spotlight on Birds
Regular Price: $95.00
Member Price: $80.00
From the smallest hummingbird to the largest ostrich, there is a lot of diversity among birds. In this class, we will explore the traits that unite all birds as well as those that divide them into subgroups. Through it all, hands-on exploration, inquiry, animal visitors and Zoo hikes will bring our investigations to life as this program session shines a spotlight on our feathered friends.

Choose to come every Tuesday, Wednesday, or Saturday for four weeks.

Note: 5th-6th grade Zoo Troopers and Adults are required to wear a mask while indoors. 
5th-6th Grade: Spotlight on Reptiles
Regular Price: $95.00
Member Price: $80.00
What do an alligator, a rattlesnake, a Komodo dragon, and a tortoise have in common? They are all reptiles! There are so many different kinds of reptiles with so many different characteristics that it is hard to believe they are related! During this program session, we will learn to look closer at the traits of these scaly friends and notice some of their similarities and their differences as we learn how scientists classify (and argue about classifying) them. Hikes, animal encounters, and investigations will make this experience both educational and fun! SSSSSSee you there!

Choose to come every Tuesday, Wednesday, or Saturday for 4 weeks.

Note: 5th-6th grade Zoo Troopers and Adults are required to wear a mask while indoors. 
7th-8th Grade: Mammals in Depth
Regular Price: $95.00
Member Price: $80.00
Mammals are an amazing, diverse, and well adapted group of animals. Using scientific tools, observations at habitats and in the classroom, and getting hands-on with bio-facts such as skulls, we’ll investigate what makes an animal a mammal. Then, we will take a closer look at two different scientific orders of mammals, learning about what makes them so special and unique. This series will culminate in participants getting a chance to demonstrate what they have learned by sharing it with their families!

Choose to come every Tuesday, Wednesday, or Saturday for 4 weeks.

​Note: 7th-8th grade Zoo Troopers and Adults are required to wear a mark while indoors
7th-8th Grade: Birds in Depth
Regular Price: $95.00
Member Price: $80.00
Mammals are an amazing, diverse, and well adapted group of animals. Using scientific tools, observations at habitats and in the classroom, and getting hands-on with bio-facts such as skulls, we’ll investigate what makes an animal a mammal. Then, we will take a closer look at two different scientific orders of mammals, learning about what makes them so special and unique. This series will culminate in participants getting a chance to demonstrate what they have learned by sharing it with their families!

Choose to come every Tuesday, Wednesday, or Saturday for 4 weeks.

Note: 7th-8th grade Zoo Troopers and Adults are required to wear a mark while indoors
 
After Hours Programs
Family Sunset Safari: Goodnight Zoo
Regular Price: $40.00
Member Price: $35.00
The day is ending, and it is time for many Zoo animals to get ready for bed and for others to start waking up! Join us as we say “good night” to some daytime animals and “good morning” to those starting their night shift during up-close encounters and hiking the Zoo.

IMPORTANT: All program participants must be 5 years and older. Children under 18 must be accompanied by a registered adult. Please bring a mask. All guests must wear a mask when required. See After Hours FAQ for details. Price is person.
 
Adult Sunset Safari: African Sundowner
Regular Price: $150.00
Member Price: $140.00
Join us for a traditional safari sundowner, complete with dinner, cocktails, and animals at our Twiga Tented Safari Camp by the Giraffe exhibit. This 21+ adult evening event will have up-close animal encounters and exclusive tours around the Zoo, including a behind the scenes tour of the Africa habitats.

IMPORTANT: All program participants must be 21 years and older. All participants must wear a mask.
 
FAMILY PROGRAMS
These family-oriented programs explore wildlife through animal demonstrations and hikes though the Zoo as well as crafts or games in a manner that is sure to be fun for all ages. Please note that at least one adult must be registered with each family group. Children under 2 years old are free.
Pawpaw Palooza
Regular Price: $30.00
Member Price: $25.00
Join us out at the farm to hike, hear, pluck, and taste our way through the history and folklore of the largest native fruit in America - the pawpaw!  Ohio's state fruit is smooth like as mango, with a tropical taste.  From hikes in the pawpaw patch to tasting home-made pawpaw ice cream, bring the family out for a fun morning full of activity and storytelling!  Then, we will help you prepare seeds for winter, so that you can grow your own pawpaw tree next spring!

Perfect for families with children of all ages, or the pawpaw enthusiast. One adult must register per group. Children under 2 years are free. Price is per person.

NOTE: This program takes place at our Bowyer Farm in Lebanon, located at 2210 Mason Montgomery Road, Mason, OH 45040.
Session Pawpaw Palooza: Saturday, October 2, 2021 10:00AM - 2:00PM AVAILABLE
 
GIVE THE ZOO TO KIDS IN NEED
Support Low Income Students Visiting The Zoo
 
Donate today and support low income students visiting the zoo.

The Living Classroom Education Access Fund began in 2012. Since that time the fund has brought 60,000 low-income children and their teachers to the Zoo for a free, fun, standards-aligned daytime, or overnight field trip. You can give EVERY child the opportunity to be inspired by wildlife every day and enjoy the quintessential Cincinnatian experience of visiting this top zoo.

An entire grade of young people can visit the zoo for $1000.00
Provide a zoo experience to a bus full of students for $500.00
Send an entire classroom to the Zoo for $250.00
Any donation amount could help! Please donate today.

Learn more about the Living Classroom Education Fund here- http://cincinnatizoo.org/lceaf/
 
EDUCATION GIFT CERTIFICATES
Zoo Education Programs make a perfect gift. You can even redeem your Education Gift Certificate online! When making a purchase online with an Education Gift Certificate select the Gift Certificate option in the payment screen and enter the barcode number.
$10.00 Education Gift Certificate
Price: $10.00
Gift Certificates only redeemable for Zoo Education Programs.
$15.00 Education Gift Certificate
Price: $15.00
Gift Certificates only redeemable for Zoo Education Programs.
$50.00 Education Gift Certificate
Price: $50.00
Gift Certificates only redeemable for Zoo Education Programs.
$100.00 Education Gift Certificate
Price: $100.00
Gift Certificates only redeemable for Zoo Education Programs.
$120.00 Education Gift Certificate
Price: $120.00
Gift Certificates only redeemable for Zoo Education Programs.
Perfect amount for Half Day Zoo Camp, at member price.
$135.00 Education Gift Certificate
Price: $135.00
Gift Certificates only redeemable for Zoo Education Programs.
Perfect amount for Half Day Zoo Camp, at non-member price.
$235.00 Education Gift Certificate
Price: $235.00
Gift Certificates only redeemable for Zoo Education Programs.
Perfect amount for Full Day Zoo Camp, at member price.
$250.00 Education Gift Certificate
Price: $250.00
Gift Certificates only redeemable for Zoo Education Programs.
Perfect for Full Day Summer Camp at the non-member price!
 
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