*UPDATED for 2020 plus a couple new places at the end of the post.
A lot of homeschool parents appreciate the opportunity to supplement their children’s homeschool studies with educational classes held at local zoos, parks and museums. I do too!
When my boys were young we use to do these at the Exploration Gateway / Sippo Library in Canton, Ohio. Now that my boys are older I’d love to have them take some classes again somewhere.
Below I’m sharing a simple round up of zoos and museums (and other places) in Ohio linking to their homeschool and educational class page for your easy perusal. I hope you find it a helpful resource that you keep coming back to!
Feel free to bookmark or Pin this post to your boards so you can come back again and again!
Educational Classes for Homeschoolers in Ohio
*** UPDATED for 2020 ***
Under each link I’ll list some excerpted highlights from each website of what classes or offerings I found at each location so you can decide if it’s worth checking into further. NOTE: Some places actually offer special “homeschooler days”. Always keep that in mind, you may save on general admission on those days.
Homeschool Classes in Akron
Homeschool / educational programs offered at Akron Zoo.
I didn’t see any explicit homeschool classes for 2020 listed but check out the Field Trips page (link above) and other helpful links like Teachers Resources, Zoo Camp and more on that page.
Homeschool / educational programs offered at Akron Fossils.
- Super Science Saturdays (once a month), new topic explored each month.
- Day Camps
- Simply Science
- Youth Nights & MORE
Homeschool Classes in Canton
Homeschool program / educational programs at the McKinley Museum in Canton.
- Science and Ohio History programs offered listed by grade and topic.
Homeschool programs / educational programs at Stark Parks in Canton (not Zoo/Museum).
- This is where we did the Little Explorers programs when my boys were young. They also offer classes up to adult that are not “homeschool labeled” so be sure to check everything!
Homeschool Classes in Cleveland
Homeschool programs / educational programs at the Cleveland Metroparks Zoo.
- See the monthly program topics for K-8th grade at the link above.
Homeschool / educational programs offered at the Cleveland Museum of Natural History.
- Visit the website for more info about programs and virtual field trips with the option to create your own package.
Homeschool programs offered at the Greater Cleveland Aquarium.
- Homeschool Wednesdays for K-8th grades. Watch for new classes and be ready to register.
Homeschool programs offered at the Cleveland Botanical Gardens.
- Homeschool and other-described learning opportunities are available. The link above takes you to the basic index to start from. You can find homeschool programs under Youth & Family Programs.
Click here to read about our visit to the Cleveland Museum of Natural History.
Homeschool Classes in Columbus
Homeschool programs offered at the Columbus Zoo & Aquarium.
- They say they are working on this for 2020.
Homeschool Classes in Cincinnati
Family / educational programs offered at the Cincinnati Zoo.
- I didn’t see any “homeschool” classes but there appear to be educational opportunities that may be a great fit for your family.
Homeschool Classes in Toledo
Homeschool programs offered at the Toledo Zoo.
- “This is a three-season program starting in September and running through mid-May. … Program participants will be divided by age group.” Single packages not available. See the link above for details.
Am I missing an Ohio zoo or science museum that you feel should be offered in this listing? Help me out by telling me in the comments so I can consider adding it to this list. Thank you!
Looking for the best individual or family membership plan to zoos and museums? Read my posts below!
Read my tips for finding the best membership for zoos.
MUST READ – how to get FREE & Discounted Science Museum admission!
NEWLY ADDED:
The Normal Johnson Center in Dover, Ohio offers homeschool classes. Access their 2020 Calendar link found on this page.
The Wilderness Center in Wilmot, Ohio offers homeschool classes. Check their homeschool link found on their education page here.
Thank you! I will look into that for the post.
The Cuyahoga Valley Art Center offers art classes for home schooled children.
http://www.cvart.org/classes
Thanks for sharing, Ann!
The Ohio historical society used to offer classes next to the Columbus fairgrounds. The kids could dress up back in time and learn about school and other things of that historic time period. Laura Ingles Wilder series was great to go with this.
Thanks Linda, I’ll look into it!
Thanks, Kristen! This post will serve me as well as any readers interested. It will be nice to have some quick links to refer to.
When I taught at our local zoo, we also offered homeschool classes. It is great that you are providing the information for families because so many don’t realize that zoos and museums offer classes (and some are geared towards homeschoolers).
Not exactly zoos or museums, but the Norma Johnson Center in Dover offers a FREE homeschool program on the 2nd Wednesday of the month Sept – May (http://normajohnsoncenter.com/events/) and the Wilderness Center in Wilmot offers a monthly homeschool program (free for members and a small fee for non-members) (https://www.wildernesscenter.org/wp-content/uploads/2013/01/HomeschoolThurs2017-18.pdf)