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Cancellation/Refund Policy
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 Count with Me
Regular Price: $105.00
Member Price: $90.00
For 18-36 months 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.

Note: Plan for one adult to stay with your child during these classes.

Toddlers 1 2 3 Dance with Me
Regular Price: $105.00
Member Price: $90.00
For 18-36 months 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.

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 Critter Coverings
Regular Price: $105.00
Member Price: $90.00
For 3, 4 and 5 years old not in kindergarten
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, touch, and sound. We will meet animals face-to-face in the classroom and out in the Zoo.

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 Critter Classification
Regular Price: $105.00
Member Price: $90.00
For 3, 4 and 5 years old not in kindergarten
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!

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 Animal Investigators
Regular Price: $110.00
Member Price: $95.00
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.

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

Note: Children attend this series independently.

Kindergarten The Inside Scoop
Regular Price: $110.00
Member Price: $95.00
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.

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

Note: Children attend this series independently.

1st-2nd Grade We've Got You Covered
Regular Price: $115.00
Member Price: $100.00
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!  

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

1st-2nd Grade Going Wild
Regular Price: $115.00
Member Price: $100.00
Domestic vs. Wild – what’s 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!  

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

3rd-4th Grade Animal Oddballs
Regular Price: $115.00
Member Price: $100.00
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.  

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

3rd-4th Grade Winged Wonders
Regular Price: $115.00
Member Price: $100.00
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 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.  

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

5th-6th Grade Spotlight on Birds
Regular Price: $115.00
Member Price: $100.00
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.  

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

5th-6th Grade Spotlight on Reptiles
Regular Price: $115.00
Member Price: $100.00
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! 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!  

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

7th-8th Grade Mammals in Depth
Regular Price: $115.00
Member Price: $100.00
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, 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. Participants will get a chance to demonstrate what they have learned to their families and the public!

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

7th-8th Grade Birds in Depth
Regular Price: $115.00
Member Price: $100.00
Which animal class includes members that can both fly in the air and underwater? Birds of course! From the biggest ostrich to the tiniest hummingbird, we will explore what it takes to be a member of Class Aves. With hikes, skull examinations, and some classroom animal visits, we’ll take an in-depth look at three specific scientific orders of birds to understand what makes them so unique. Participants will get a chance to share what they learned with their families and the public.

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