Cincinnati Zoo & Botanical Garden®

Home of the world famous hippo Fiona. Family friendly Zoo committed to inspiring visitors with wildlife and saving species.

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Zoo Troop
We are now offering both an in-person program and new Virtual Zoo Troop programs online!

These 4 week long, age-appropriate classes for toddlers through 8th graders are designed to develop curiosity, create empathy, encourage healthy social skills, and grow self esteem. Participants will be immersed in fun, educational, wildlife rich experiences designed to develop knowledge and life skills.

Toddler and PreK participants must participate with an adult to enjoy all the action.  To encourage independence, Kindergartners and older are not accompanied by adults and for in-person programs they are dropped off before and picked up after each adventure!  Join the club and hang with the Troop!

Zoo Troop

zootrooptoddlersFor Toddlers (18-36 months old)

Cost: Members: $65 / Non-Members: $80 (An adult must accompany child. No charge for accompanying adult.)

Register for In-Person
Colorful Creatures


Can you see the brilliant colors of nature? Join us in this four-week series as we take a closer look at the Zoo's beautiful creatures and learn to identify their colors! We will meet special animals such as birds with red feathers, beetles with black bodies, and snakes with yellow scales!

IMPORTANT:These classes will be held outdoors, with shelter available in case of bad weather. Please plan for one adult to stay with your child during these classes. We require adults accompanying their children to classes to wear masks to be in compliance with the governor's guidelines.

Steps
1. Discover colors in nature by looking at differently colored animals in the Zoo.
1. Meet animals up-close and work on identifying colors when we see them.
2. Make new friends and learn to communicate with others.

Purpose
When I've finished this Zoo Troop adventure, I will have mastered color identification, putting names to the beautiful colors we see on animals and plants.

Dates
Choose a day for every week for 4 weeks.
In person at the Zoo
• Tuesdays September 22, 29, October 6, and 13: 9:30-10:15am or 11:00-11:45am
• Saturdays September 26, October 3, 10, and 17: 9:30-10:15am or 11:00-11:45am

No virtual Zoo Troop experience available.

zootroppprekFor Pre-Kindergarteners (ages 3-4 years old)

Cost: Members: $65 / Non-Members: $80 (An adult must accompany child. No charge for accompanying adult.)

Register for In-Person Register for Virtual
Finding Food


What would you do to get your hands on your favorite food? Let's discover what is takes for an animal to find their next delicious meal. Join us on a journey around the Zoo while we find other animals that are really good at finding food! Animals find food by using their hands, eyes, ear, nose and mouth, just like we do!

IMPORTANT:: These classes will be held outdoors, with shelter available in case of bad weather. Please plan for one adult to stay with your child during these classes. We require adults accompanying their children to classes to wear masks to be in compliance with the governor's guidelines.

Steps:
1. Discover how animals find the food they eat.
2. Meet animals up-close and observe their body parts.
3. Make new friends and learn how to communicate with others.

Purpose:
When I've finished this Zoo Troop adventure, I will have learned that animals eat different foods and have different methods to search for food. I will have also understood that animals use their senses of smell, sight, touch, hearing, and taste, to find their food.

Dates:
Choose a day for every week for 4 weeks.

In person at the Zoo
• Tuesdays September 22, 29, October 6, and 13: 10:00-11:00am
• Saturdays September 26, October 3, 10, and 17: 10:00-11:00am

Virtual
• Fridays September 25, October 2, 9, and 16: 11:00-11:45am

zootroopkindFor Kindergartners

Cost: Members: $70 / Non-Members: $85

Register for In-Person Register for Virtual
Beasty Feasts

Have you ever been as hungry as a horse? If so, what did you eat? Are you a picky eater? So are some of the Zoo animals! During this four-week series, we'll take hikes in the Zoo, meet some special animal friends, and play games that will help us learn about the crazy variety of animal diets and what is on the menu for our Zoo animals.

IMPORTANT: Parents are encouraged to allow their children to experience these classes independently. We require children attending class to wear masks during animal demonstration to be in compliance with the governor's guidelines.

Steps
1. Discover how animals' bodies can tell us a lot about what they eat.
2. Investigate the many different kinds of diets animals can have.
3. Discover what we have in common with other animals.
4. Develop our communication skills and gain confidence while making friends.

Purpose
When I've finished this Zoo Troop adventure, I will understand a little more about what animals and I need to eat to stay healthy and strong.

Dates:
Choose a day for every week for 4 weeks.
In person at the Zoo
• Tuesdays September 22, 29, October 6, and 13: 10:00-11:30am
• Saturdays September 26, October 3, 10, and 17: 10:00-11:30am

Virtual
• Fridays September 25, October 2, 9, and 16: 3:30-4:30pm

zootrop1or3For 1st-2nd Graders

Cost: Members: $70 / Non-Members: $85

Register for In-Person Register for Virtual
Tasty Treats

Every living thing needs energy to survive. Animals get energy from the food they eat! Joins us in this four-week journey to figure out what some of our Zoo animals like to eat. Some animals eat plants, while some animals eat other animals. Let's study this food chain by meeting some animals in the classroom and our in the Zoo!

IMPORTANT: Parents are encouraged to allow their children to experience these classes independently. We require children attending class to wear masks to be in compliance with the governor's guidelines.

Steps:
1. Discover that predators and prey are a part of a large food chain.
2. Meet animals up-close and study the body parts that assist them in eating.
3. Make new friends and work on activities with other classmates.
4. Gain confidence and develop our communication skills while having fun.

Purpose: When I've finished this Zoo Troop adventure, I will have learned that animals have physical adaptations that help them find their food.

Dates:
Choose a day for every week for 4 weeks.
In person at the Zoo
• Tuesdays September 22, 29, October 6, and 13: 10:00-11:30am
• Saturdays September 26, October 3, 10, and 17: 2:00-3:30pm
Virtual
• Mondays September 21, 28, October 5, and 12: 3:30-4:30pm

zootropfirstFor 3rd-4th Graders

Cost: Members: $75 / Non-Members: $90

Register for In-Person Register for Virtual
Feeding Frenzy

From teeth to talons, animals have a lot of adaptations that help them to find and eat their food. Join us for this four-week series as we investigate what animals eat and how they find their food with hands-on activities and animal visitors.

IMPORTANT: We require children attending class to wear masks to be in compliance with the governor's guidelines.

Steps:
1. Investigate how animals' bodies are adapted to different diets.
2. Discover the important role that animals (including humans) play in the food web.
3. Make new friends and discover our voices as we learn together.
4. Discover the role we play in our environment.

Purpose:
When I've finished this Zoo Troop adventure, I will have developed cooperative and team working skills. I will also have more knowledge about the role that animals, including humans, play in their ecosystem and how their body helps them fill that niche.

Dates:
Choose a day for every week for 4 weeks.
In person at the Zoo
• Tuesdays September 22, 29, October 6, and 13: 10:00am-12:00pm
• Saturdays September 26, October 3, 10, and 17: 1:30-3:30pm
Virtual
• Tuesdays September 22, 29, October 6, and 13: 3:30-4:30pm

six8For 5th-6th Graders

Cost: Members: $75/ Non-Members: $90

Register for In-Person Register for Virtual
Eat Like an Animal

When it comes to finding food, the rules of the wild are eat or be eaten. Come and learn about the adaptations animals have to find and eat their food, their role in the food chain, and how our eating habits compare to theirs. We will also learn about how our Zoo nutritionist makes sure that our Zoo animals eat a diet that mimics that of their wild counterparts. Of course, animal visitors, Zoo hikes, and other activities will play a big role in this 4-week series as we learn and explore what it means to eat like an animal.

IMPORTANT: We require children attending class to wear masks to be in compliance with the governor's guidelines.

Steps
1. Investigate the interdependence of members of a food web.
2. Learn about how zoos meet the nutritional needs of their animals.
3. Compare our diets to those of other animals.
4. Make new friends and work on our critical thinking skills.

Purpose
When I have finished this Zoo Troop adventure, I will have honed my critical thinking and observation skills while building confidence in expressing myself and my ideas as I explore the role of animals (including myself) in their ecosystems' food webs.

Dates:
Choose a day for every week for 4 weeks.
In person at the Zoo
• Tuesdays September 22, 29, October 6, and 13: 10:00am-12:00pm
• Saturdays September 26, October 3, 10, and 17: 1:30-3:30pm
Virtual
• Wednesdays September 23, 30, October 7, and 14: 3:30-4:30pm

3For 7th-8th Graders

Cost: Members: $75 / Non-Members: $90

Register for In-Person Register for Virtual
Zoo-vivor

In the wild, it is all about survival and you are either the hunter or the hunted. During this four-week series, we will learn about the adaptations that animals and plants can employ to survive and thrive in a wild and unpredictable world. We will also learn about the role that humans play in forming and changing the rules and the roles of wildlife in their habitat.

IMPORTANT: We require children attending class to wear masks to be in compliance with the governor's guidelines.

Steps
1. Investigate how animals' bodies are adapted to hunt or hide.
2. Discover the IMPORTANT: role predators and prey play in their environment.
3. Make new friends and discover how to work together.
4. Discover what role we play in our environment.

Purpose
When I have finished the Zoo Troop adventure, I will have developed critical thinking, observation, and inquiry skills and will build my confidence in my own voice and ideas as I discover how I can positively impact my world through my own choices and by sharing my knowledge with others.

Dates:
Choose a day for every week for 4 weeks.
In person at the Zoo
• Tuesdays September 22, 29, October 6, and 13: 10:00am-12:00pm
• Saturdays September 26, October 3, 10, and 17: 1:30-3:30pm
Virtual
• Thursdays September 24, October 1, 8, and 15: 3:30-4:30pm
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