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For 18-36 months olds
Some animal babies look just like their mommies and daddies, but others look completely different! 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.

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 of survival! 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.

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.

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  

NEW EXTENDED TIMES for April 2025!

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

From carrying their offspring to pushing them from the nest (sometimes literally!), 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  

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.

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 precursor to maple syrup, fresh from the tree! This program is sure to be fun for the whole family.

Note: This program takes place at our Bowyer Farm in Mason, located at 2210 Mason Montgomery Road. This is an outdoor program—dress warmly and with comfortable walking shoes to walk approximately 1–2 miles over uneven terrain. All attendees 3 years and above must register. At least one adult must register per group. Children under 3 years are free. Price is per person.

Many animals (including humans) have close relationships with their mothers.  From the gentle jaws of an alligator to the comfy pouch of an opossum, come learn about our Zoo moms as we prepare to celebrate all mother figures on tomorrow's holiday just for them.

Note: All attendees 3 years + must register. One adult required per group. Children under 3 years free. Price is per person.
 

Zoo lovers of all ages can join us each season for a special night hike around the Zoo.

January & February: Winter Wonderland at the Zoo Winter is for all the animals who LOVE the cold! From penguins to wolves to otters, join us on select nights to explore the animals who are thriving in the snow. Participate in fun, educational activities, take a zoo hike while the zoo is closed, and meet some of our animal ambassadors up close and personal! All while learning about the current cold-weathered friends we have at the Zoo.   

March, April & May: Zoo Families Discover the diverse and fascinating ways animals care for their young in Zoo Families! In this engaging program, you’ll explore how creatures from around the globe nurture, protect, and teach their babies to survive in the wild. Through hands-on activities, up-close animal encounters, and fun facts, you’ll uncover the incredible strategies of nature’s most devoted parents.

Note: All attendees 3 years and above must register. At least one adult must register per group. Children under 3 years are free. Price is per person.

Spend the Night at the Zoo!

Florida is full of diverse habitats that are bursting with thousands of animal species, from walking-on-water basilisks to slow-and-steady manatees. We’ll dive headfirst into the astonishing biodiversity of these habitats, centering around the lives of our resident manatees who are a part of a rehabilitation program. Throughout the night we’ll explore a few places in the Zoo, participate in fun, educational activities, get a behind-the-scenes sneak peek, including our amazing science and research center CREW, and meet some of our animal ambassadors up-close and personal! When the night ends, you’ll doze off at our Manatee Springs building in the big open-spaced exhibit area.

 

Note: All program attendees must be 5 years and older and be registered. Children under 18 must be accompanied by a registered adult. 

This program sleeps in the Manatee Springs building. This is a beautiful open-spaced room that will be shared with other families/groups. So you will be combined with other groups for the program and sleeping.

 

Keeping track of all the animals in the world is no easy task! In this camp, we’ll explore the clues that help us classify reptiles, amphibians, birds, mammals, and insects into their families. But be ready—some animals don’t follow the rules!

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.

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.

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!  

 

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. Watch out, Thane!

Half Day Camp
for 4-5 year olds and those entering Kindergarten in the fall.

Are all animals covered in skin like ours? No way! Animals have different coverings that help them slither, hide, hover, and so much more! Campers will fly, flutter, slither, and scurry through the week as they experience up-close animal encounters, Zoo hikes, songs, games, and crafts!

Note: Before and After Care are not available for half-day camps.

Half Day Camp
for 4-5 year olds and those entering Kindergarten in the fall.

Animals move their bodies in lots of different ways—just like your child! Some animals (and children) might hop, run, crawl, swim, climb, and more. Each day, we’ll explore animal locomotion with hikes in the Zoo, crafts, games, and close encounters with some live animal “movers.” No matter how they move, your little one will enjoy this action-filled summer Zoo adventure.

Note: Before and After Care are not available for half-day camps.

Full Day Camp
for children entering 1st or 2nd grade in the fall.

Are you extreme enough? Animals are out of this world, equipped with outrageous abilities such as being able to dive a MILE deep into the ocean! Join us as we meet these extreme animals and discover why they must act the way they do. Your camper will explore the animal and plant kingdoms by meeting our ambassadors face to face! They will identify their features and decide who is the fastest, strongest, or largest of them all!
 

Full Day Camp
Get your detective hats ready—you’re on the case! Who left those paw prints behind while trespassing? Does a cheetah need a speeding ticket? A rat snake shakes his tail pretending to be a rattler...is that identity theft? Tackle “Who dun it’s” around the Zoo as you learn how to study animal behavior and animal clues in this fun and immersive camp experience!

This full day camp is for children entering 1st or 2nd grade in the fall.

Full Day Camp
for children entering 3rd or 4th grade in the fall.

We have an action-packed week planned for your camper. Campers will choose adventures that require teamwork to understand animal populations and what information should be collected to help rescue these animals. Every day, campers will rescue a different animal, make measurements, take weight, and estimate population sizes using field techniques. It's a real child-led adventure without leaving Cincinnati!

Full Day Camp
for children entering 5th or 6th grade in the fall.

Studying an animal’s behavior in the wild or a in zoo can help us get to know them better as individuals AND give scientists valuable insight into the nature and habits of their species. This knowledge can lead to improvements to their care and conservation. During this week-long camp, we’ll utilize Zoo hikes and special animal visits to focus on learning the basics of animal observation and investigate the questions that come up.

Full Day Camp
for children entering 5th,6th,7th,or 8th grade in the fall. Groups will be subdivided based on grade.

Campers will embrace their wild side as they spend a week outside exploring fields, forests, and wetlands at the 700-acre Bowyer property! Participants will learn to protect our wild spaces through activities such as bird watching, creeking, animal tracking, and so much more. Our camp will encourage your child to build confidence and skill as a naturalist in our native ecosystem. On Friday, your camper will lead you on a nature hike to show off their new skills.

This camp takes place at the Cincinnati Zoo & Botanical Garden's Bowyer Farm, 2210 Mason Montgomery Road, Mason, OH 45040. 

Note: Before and After Care is not available for camps hosted at Bowyer Farm.  Campers will spend all their time outside and immersed in nature. Please dress accordingly and plan to get dirty or wet!

Full Day Camp
for children entering 7th or 8th grade in the fall.

Running a zoo involves a lot more than meets the eye. Join us for a week of exploring the many jobs involved in taking care of the Zoo’s animals and creating a great experience for Zoo visitors. You’ll get a chance to get down, dirty and creative with hands-on activities, animal encounters, and Behind-the-Scenes tours. We’ll also round out the experience with some guest speakers who will give you a better understanding of the variety of zoo careers that we have here at the Cincinnati Zoo & Botanical Garden.

Get your vintage camp tshirt! 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.

Gift Certificates only redeemable for Zoo Education Programs.
Gift Certificates expire 5 years from purchase.
 

​Gift Certificates only redeemable for Zoo Education Programs.
Expires 5 years from order date

​Gift Certificates only redeemable for Zoo Education Programs.
Expires 5 years from order date

​Gift Certificates only redeemable for Zoo Education Programs.
Expires 5 years from order date

For the best elves in your life. 

​Gift Certificates only redeemable for Zoo Education Programs.
Expires 5 years from order date

Put a little Zoo in their stocking!

​Gift Certificates only redeemable for Zoo Education Programs.
Expires 5 years from order date