Welcome
New Cancellation/Refund Policy effective January 3, 2022
Programs cancelled by the registrant at least two weeks in advance of the program date may receive a refund. Refunds or credits are no longer available for programs cancelled by the registrant within two weeks of the program date.

If you are a Zoo Member or have a promotion code, please enter this information at the time of ticket purchase checkout. 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.
Toddlers: What Shape Is Your Home?
Regular Price: $90.00
Member Price: $75.00
For 18-36 months olds
Does a robin's nest look like a circle? Does a tree trunk look like a rectangle? What better way to learn how we can discover shapes than by learning with animals? Bring your toddler to this four-week series to learn how we can discover shapes while we learn about animals! Join us to learn about animal homes while we move around the Zoo, meet animals in the classroom and act like an animal with our friends.

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

Note: Plan for one adult to stay with your child during these classes.
Toddlers: Oh Baby!
Regular Price: $100.00
Member Price: $85.00
For 18-36 month olds
Do you look like your mommy and daddy? Animal babies look like their mommy and daddy too! Join us for a 4-week adventure where we will match up mom and baby, using our voices and bodies to act like animals in the classroom and around the Zoo. Grownups will learn with us, as we watch animals in action, and learn about baby animals with our friends.

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

Note: Plan for one adult to stay with your child during these classes.
Pre-K: Feelin' Hot Hot Hot
Regular Price: $90.00
Member Price: $75.00
For 3, 4 and 5 years old not in kindergarten
Scorching sun, dry heat, no shade - wait, what?! People might run in the opposite way, but some animals can take the heat! Join us in this four-week series as we discover how some animals can survive the hottest temperatures on the planet!

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

Note: Plan for one adult to stay with your child during these classes.
Pre-K: Born Wild
Regular Price: $100.00
Member Price: $85.00
For 3, 4 and 5 years old not in kindergarten
What is it like to be an animal baby? Some need more tender love and care than others, but they all need food, water and protection to survive! Join us as we learn about the most precious time of an animal’s life, where a baby will learn the most essential lessons from mom and dad! We will meet some beautiful babies face to face, out in the Zoo, and in the classroom.

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

Note: Plan for one adult to stay with your child during these classes. 
Kindergarten: I Sleep In A
Regular Price: $95.00
Member Price: $80.00
For Kindergarteners
Do you sleep in a nest like a cockatoo or do you burrow down in the dirt like an armadillo to stay safe and warm? Many animals sleep in unique places! During this four- week series, we'll play games, hike through the Zoo, and meet some new animal friends as we discover where different animals like to sleep and what sorts of material they use for shelter.

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

Note: Children attend this series independently.

Kindergarten: Ready Set Play!
Regular Price: $105.00
Member Price: $90.00
For kindergarteners
What is your favorite game to play on the playground? Have you ever played hide-and-seek or hopscotch? You may be surprised to discover that some animals are born knowing what to do while others play games in order to learn important lessons for survival! During this four-week series, we’ll take a closer look at the role of play in how baby animals learn the skills they need to survive as adults.

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

Note: Children attend this series independently.
1st-2nd Grade: Who Lives In The Water?
Regular Price: $95.00
Member Price: $80.00
Who has flippers, fins, tails, or webbed feet? All of these body parts seem perfect for moving through water! Join us as we investigate how some animals live the aquatic life! In each class, we will explore aquatic animals around the Zoo, challenge ourselves with classroom activities and experience up close animal encounters.

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

1st-2nd Grade: Are You My Mother?
Regular Price: $105.00
Member Price: $90.00
How are the lives of baby reptiles, mammals, birds and insects different? When you’re an animal baby, everything from what you eat to where you live all depends on who raises you! This spring is a great time to check out the diversity of the Zoo’s growing family. Join us as we meet animal friends, hike around the zoo, and play games to see who raises our favorite animal babies.

Dates: Choose to come every Tuesday, Wednesday, or Saturday for 4 weeks.
3rd-4th Grade: Island Inhabitants
Regular Price: $100.00
Member Price: $85.00
Islands are very special places. Split from the mainland by water, over time, they become home to some unique animals and habitats. Come island-hop with us through this four-week series as we travel from the Galapagos to Madagascar to Sumatra (to name a few) to learn about the animals that are found only in these special ecosystems and the ways scientists are working to protect these amazing places.

Dates: Choose to come every Tuesday, Wednesday, or Saturday for 4 weeks  
3rd-4th Grade: My Wild Family Tree
Regular Price: $110.00
Member Price: $95.00
What do tigers and ocelots have in common? How about painted dogs and wolves? Their wild family trees of course! With hikes, games, and classroom animal visitors, this four-week series will help us explore the parenting and family lifestyles of these wild animals and see if they have more in common than shared ancestry.

Dates: Choose to come every Tuesday, Wednesday, or Saturday for 4 weeks.
5th-6th Grade: Animal Architects
Regular Price: $100.00
Member Price: $85.00
From tree-eating elephants to mound-building insects, animals change, mold, and shape their world with the homes they build and the food they eat. During this four-week series, we will learn about the original architects of this world and how the things they build or destroy help them survive and impact their habitat.

Dates: Choose to come every Tuesday, Wednesday, or Saturday for 4 weeks.  
5th-6th Grade: Raising Wild Ones
Regular Price: $110.00
Member Price: $95.00
From baby parking to baby wearing, animals employ MANY different parenting styles. During this four-week series, participants will go on Zoo hikes, meet animals in the classroom, and engage in other fun activities that will help them explore the way that wild animal babies are raised and compare them to their own families.

Dates: Choose to come every Tuesday, Wednesday, or Saturday for 4 weeks.
7th-8th Grade: Sharing Spaces And Common Places
Regular Price: $100.00
Member Price: $85.00
Humans and animals share habitat in places as close as our backyard and as far away as the savannahs of Kenya. With such close proximity, conflict can arise, but so can coexistence. During this four-week series, we will explore the ways we have found a balance, and the wildlife and cultures that have benefited from these successes.

Dates: Choose to come every Tuesday, Wednesday, or Saturday for 4 weeks.  
7th-8th Grade: Growing Up Wild
Regular Price: $110.00
Member Price: $95.00
Imagine going from newborn to adult in a year, a few months, or less than a month! Imagine being independent from birth or staying a baby until conditions are right to become an adult! Imagine having 200 brothers and sisters! In this 4-week series, we will learn all about the crazy variety that can be found among baby animals and why growing up in the animal kingdom is a wild and wonderful thing!

Dates: Choose to come every Tuesday, Wednesday, or Saturday for 4 weeks.
 
FAMILY PROGRAMS
These family-oriented programs explore wildlife through activities and hikes 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.
Maple Tapping and Tasting
Regular Price: $35.00
Member Price: $30.00
Come join us at the Zoo’s Bowyer Farm for a fun afternoon full of history, hands-on activities, and storytelling all about maple tapping! This program offers a sweet peek into the history of this age-old tradition and offers an opportunity to participate in the maple tapping process. At the end, participants will be able to taste the pre-cursor to maple syrup, fresh from the tree, as well as some of the finished product! This program is sure to be fun for the whole family.

NOTE: This program takes place at our Bowyer Farm in Lebanon, located at 2210 Mason Montgomery Road.


This is an outdoor program- dress warmly and with comfortable walking shoes to walk approximately 1/2 mile over uneven terrain.

Register each person attending, except for children under 2 years of age.
Session Maple Tapping and Tasting: Saturday, February 18, 2023 1:00PM - 3:00PM (1 AVAIL)
Hurray for Mom!
Regular Price: $25.00
Member Price: $20.00
Many animals (including humans) have close relationships with their mothers.  From the gentle jaws of an alligator to the comfy pouch of a wallaby, come learn about our Zoo moms as we prepare to celebrate all moms on tomorrow's holiday just for them.

Note: One adult must register per group. For all ages. All participants should be registered, except children under 2 years old who are free.
 
Session Hurray for Mom!: Saturday, May 6, 2023 10:00AM - 11:30AM COMING SOON
 
AFTER HOURS PROGRAMS
Family Night Hike: Hey Baby!
Regular Price: $20.00
Member Price: $25.00
Join us each season for a special night hike around the Zoo. And, of course, the Spring Season is for Zoo Babies! Join us on select nights to explore the different families we have at the Zoo. Participate in fun, educational activities, take a special behind-the-scenes tour, and meet some of our animal ambassadors up close and personal! All while learning about the current Zoo babies and fun families we have at the Zoo. 

Note: One adult required per group. For adults and children 5 years and older. All participants must be registered.
 
HOLIDAY DAY CAMP
4yr-Kindergarten: Zoo Play Date
Regular Price: $75.00
Member Price: $60.00

Is play an important part of your day? It is to animals here at the Zoo! In this one-day camp, we will explore how both human and non-human animals use play to stay healthy and learn how to get along with others. With interactive activities and observations of animals both in the Zoo and in the classroom, we will learn about how play is useful in keeping our animals happy and healthy. We will even create some special enrichment toys for some special Zoo residents to enjoy.

Join us on either Martin Luther King Day OR Presidents Day for this single-day camp! 

Note: Please bring a mask.  Masks may be required for some animal encounters and experiences.  

1st-2nd Grade: Zoo Play Date
Regular Price: $75.00
Member Price: $60.00

Is play an important part of your day? It is to animals here at the Zoo! In this one-day camp, we will explore how both human and non-human animals use play to stay healthy and learn how to get along with others. With interactive activities and observations of animals both in the Zoo and in the classroom, we will learn about how play is useful in keeping our animals happy and healthy. We will even create some special enrichment toys for some special Zoo residents to enjoy.

Join us on either Martin Luther King Day OR Presidents Day for this single-day camp! 

Note: Please bring a mask. masks may be required during some animal encounters and experiences.

3rd-4th Grade: Zoo Play Date
Regular Price: $75.00
Member Price: $60.00

Is play an important part of your day? It is to animals here at the Zoo! In this one-day camp, we will explore how both human and non-human animals use play to stay healthy and learn how to get along with others. With interactive activities and observations of animals both in the Zoo and in the classroom, we will learn about how play is useful in keeping our animals happy and healthy. We will even create some special enrichment toys for some special Zoo residents to enjoy.

Join us on either Martin Luther King Day OR Presidents Day for this single-day camp! 

Note: Please bring a mask. Mask may be required during some animal encounters and experiences.

Session 3rd-4th Grade Group A: Monday, February 20, 2023 9:00AM - 4:00PM WAIT LIST
5th-8th Grade: Zoo Play Date
Regular Price: $75.00
Member Price: $60.00

Is play an important part of your day? It is to animals here at the Zoo! In this one-day camp, we will explore how both human and non-human animals use play to stay healthy and learn how to get along with others. With interactive activities and observations of animals both in the Zoo and in the classroom, we will learn about how play is useful in keeping our animals happy and healthy. We will even create some special enrichment toys for some special Zoo residents to enjoy.

Join us on either Martin Luther King Day OR Presidents Day for this single-day camp! 

Note: Please bring a mask. Mask may be required during some animal encounters and experiences.

Session 5th-8th Grade Group A: Monday, February 20, 2023 9:00AM - 4:00PM (5 AVAIL)
 
SPRING BREAK CAMP
These full-day camps include a camp t-shirt, snacks (campers pack lunch), live animal encounters, games, hikes, and so much more! Sign your child up for the wildest spring break ever!

Zoo Camp is generously supported by: Grippo's
4yr-Kindergarten: All in the Family
Regular Price: $260.00
Member Price: $245.00
If you thought keeping track of the members of your family was hard, imagine doing it for the entire animal kingdom! Organizing the diversity of life is complex. In this camp, we will learn to recognize the signs that tell us how to group reptiles, amphibians, birds, mammals, and insects into their families. But watch out, there are some rule breakers in the bunch! 
1st-2nd Grade: Troops Groups and Herds
Regular Price: $260.00
Member Price: $245.00
Who is in your "pack?" Is it just your family or are friends allowed too? Do you eat together, play together, and take care of each other? Did you know some animals live, eat, and hang out in groups together, too? Bring your gaggle, flock, or pride to the Zoo and discover which animals stick together, how they form and maintain their bonds, and how group life helps them to survive.
3rd-4th Grade: I Wonder
Regular Price: $260.00
Member Price: $245.00
Does looking at animals fill you with wonder? Does walking around the Zoo spark a million questions? During this camp we will be the scientists investigating what the Zoo animals are up to. With our inquiring minds and untamed eyes, we will explore animal behaviors through investigations of our own creation.
5th-6th Grade: Dr. Zoolittle's Training Camp
Regular Price: $260.00
Member Price: $245.00
Discover how to “talk” to animals! Campers will be training new behaviors with some of our Zoo animal ambassadors. Learn about animal behavior and motivation while applying training techniques taught by Zoo professionals. By the end of camp, animals will be eating out of your hands, literally!

 
7th-8th Grade: Mini Maynard Training Camp
Regular Price: $270.00
Member Price: $255.00
Join us for a week-long adventure and discover what it takes to become a future Zoo director!  Our Zoo director Thane Maynard is known as a wildlife expert, a naturalist, author and is a regular on T.V. shows promoting wildlife conservation.  Campers will experience the many different jobs Thane has done on the way to becoming our zoo director.  Campers will learn about animal handling, meet ambassador animals up-close and create a “90-second naturalist” podcast of their own on their way to becoming the next Zoo director. So watch out, Thane!

 
 
T-SHIRTS
Vintage Camp TShirts
Price: $10.00
Product Image
Get your vintage camp tshirt! Summer Camp 2019 (pollinators), Spring Break 2020 (wildebeest), Summer Camp 2021 (kangaroo) all available now. Youth and Adult sizes for the whole family!

All t-shirts are for pickup only, at the Harold C Schott Education Building at 56 Erkenbrecher Ave, Cincinnati, OH 45249 Monday-Friday 9am-5pm, or Saturday 9am-12pm. Call 513-559-7730 when you arrive. All orders will be held for 4 business days, and then returned to inventory if not picked up. 

Gildan Brand 100% Cotton. See size chart.
 
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 150,000 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.

NOTE: Purchasing a gift certificate does not guarantee a space in programs. Sign up for our quarterly Education Program Announcement email to receive notices of new programs and when they go on sale.
$250.00 Education Gift Certificate
Price: $250.00
Great for a full day Zoo Camp!
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​Gift Certificates only redeemable for Zoo Education Programs.
$100.00 Education Gift Certificate
Price: $100.00
Perfect amount for a Zoo Troop series.

Gift Certificates only redeemable for Zoo Education Programs.
$50.00 Education Gift Certificate
Price: $50.00
Great for a Family Day Programs or Family Sunset Safari ticket.

Gift Certificates only redeemable for Zoo Education Programs.
$25.00 Education Gift Certificate
Price: $25.00
For the best elves in your life. 

Gift Certificates only redeemable for Zoo Education Programs. 
$15.00 Education Gift Certificate
Price: $15.00
Put a little Zoo in their stocking!

Gift Certificates only redeemable for Zoo Education Programs. 
 
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