Homeschool Family Day

10am - 5pm

Enhance your homeschool journey with special program days designed for families. Enjoy special admission rates and unique experiences tailored for at-home learners with advance registration. Each program day explores a fun, educational theme. Choose your favorite or join us for all!

Embark on a self-guided scavenger hunt through our galleries, using themed activity sheets curated for students of all ages. Visit our educator-led stations for hands-on learning and check the daily schedule for additional fun.

Wednesday, July 23, 2025 – Sharks & Stingrays

Discover how sharks and stingrays are vital to a healthy ocean ecosystem. Find out what makes elasmobranchs unique during this JAWsome Aquarium visit.

*Overlaps with the Aquarium’s Fin Fest. Take advantage of this discounted rate for homeschool families.

Educator-led activity available: TBD

Scavenger hunt available 10am-5pm

Plan your visit to coordinate with the Daily Activities Schedule.

Cost

$11 general, homeschool students (age 2+) & adults

FREE, Passholders & guests younger than 2

Advance registration required.

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Presented in collaboration with:

Homeschool FAQs

If I have an Annual Pass, do I need to register for the homeschool family day?
Yes, to ensure we have sufficient supplies prepped, please register in advance.

Is there space to eat lunch?
Yes, space is available to enjoy a packed lunch. Please note there are no food vendors on-site.

Does the program fee include Aquarium admission?
Yes, the program fee includes admission and activities.

What happened to the educator-led classes?
The class format we offered in the past was misaligned with the capacity and registration flexibility needs of our homeschool family audience. Offering the Homeschool Family Days and the Co-op Class formats better meets the needs for the majority of our homeschool family audience.

Homeschool Programs

We offer homeschool experiences for grades K-3 and 4-8 throughout the year.

Homeschool Classes

Educator-led sessions: 10:15 – 11:30am OR 1:15 – 2:30pm

$11 general, $8 Passholders

Registration opens 30 days prior to each program date. Program fee includes Aquarium admission for exploration following the program. Parents are encouraged to register and participate in the program. Space available to enjoy a packed lunch.

Monday, October 16, 2023 or Wednesday, January 10, 2024

K-3 – Wild, Weird & Creepy

Venomous spines, rows of sharp teeth, expert camouflage and star-shaped toes . . . explore poison, tentacles, defense mechanisms and more wild and weird adaptations to learn how they help animals survive. Take home your very own handmade slime!

4-8 – Inside Out

How many ribs does a python have? Do octopi have bones at all? Go beneath the surface to discover amazing animal anatomy and compare and contrast to our own. View animal x-rays to discover biodiversity of skeletons. End the session by dissecting a squid!

Tuesday, November 14, 2023 or Tuesday, February 20, 2024

K-3 – Super Senses

Explore the world of sight, sound, smell, and touch. Catfish have tastebuds covering their whole body! Sharks can sense electric currents! We will use our own senses to help us explore the amazing world of animal senses and learn how different animals rely on these to survive.

4-8 – Sensational Surroundings

Imagine having a sense to detect the muscle movements of nearby fish. Picture what the world looks like from an octopus’s point of view with 250 sensory inputs on every arm. Discover the sensational array of senses found in the animal world, and how humans use technology and equipment to explore underwater worlds.

Wednesday, December 13, 2023 or Monday, March 18,2024

K-3 – Life Cycles

Do baby animals always look like their parents? How many stages do tadpoles go through before they become frogs? Explore the life cycles of freshwater and ocean animals to observe how they grow. Discover the rainbow transformation of a parrotfish, marvel over the metamorphosis of tadpole to frog and learn about tiny fish fry that look like miniature versions of their mom and dad.

4-8 – Classified

Are corals and jellies related? What’s the difference between a seahorse and a seadragon? Does a sea cucumber have a family tree? Explore systems scientists use to categorize living organisms. Sort out orders, phylums, families and species. Use a dichotomous key to sort and identify aquatic species and relish both the biodiversity and the similarities of life on planet Earth.

Thursday, May 30, 2024

K-3 – Feathery Friends

What makes birds special? How are they different from other animals? Why do they have feathers? Discover the answers to these and other questions as we search for birds both inside and outside of the Aquarium. Try out your observation skills, practice using binoculars to see up-close and learn to identify a few different bird species during this avian adventure. Please dress for the weather as parts of this program take place outdoors.

4-8 – Cleveland Flats Habitats

The Flats may not be the first place you’d think to look for birds, but this urban setting is home to a surprising number of avian species. Put your observation skills to the test, helping spot and identify different birds, gain confidence using binoculars for up-close views and help log data for participatory science. Please dress for the weather as parts of this class take place outdoors.

Homeschool Family Days

10am – 5pm

$11 general, FREE Passholders

Self-guided experience with themed activity sheets available for grades K-3 & 4-8. Space available to enjoy a packed lunch.

Monday, January 8, 2024 – Winter Animal Behaviors
Tuesday, April 2, 2024 – Biodiversity
Wednesday, July 31, 2024 – Sharks

*Beach cleanup is 10am-12pm. Please dress for the weather as this takes place outdoors and includes a 2.5-mile walk (roundtrip) to Wendy Park. Cleanup portion replaces self-guided activity sheets. Program fee includes Aquarium admission for exploration following program.

Learn More

Homeschool Co-op Classes

Available Monday – Friday, 1 – 3pm

Homeschool Co-op Groups (minimum 10 people, maximum 45 people) can book an exclusive program for your group. Choose from one of the topics listed on our School Field Trip page.

Career Days

Are you a middle school or high school homeschool student? Check out our Career Day programs.

Questions?

Email education@greaterclevelandaquarium.com or call 216.862.8803 x 7715.

Some programs presented in partnership with:

Homeschool Experiences

Each Homeschool Class offers 2 simultaneous sessions:
10:15am –11:30am (grades 4-8)
10:15am – 11:30am (grades K-3)

Each session contains unique, age-appropriate activities.
Sessions begin promptly at 10:15am, please arrive on time.
Adults are expected to stay and participate in the program with their students.
Class fee includes the program PLUS Aquarium admission for the full day. Please feel welcome to explore the galleries more thoroughly after class.
The classroom will remain available for 30min following the program.
Please feel welcome to bring and eat a packed lunch. Zero waste lunches are highly encouraged.

Cost

Advance registration is required.

Student: $11
Passholder student: $8
Adult: $11
Passholder adult: $8
Sibling child (age 2-4): $11
Passholder sibling child (ages 2-4): $8

Guests younger than age 2 are free.

CSI (Grades K-3)

Monday, March 13 or Tuesday, March 14, 10:15 -11:30am

Investigate how living things have adaptations to help them get oxygen, find food, use water and seek shelter. Which animals breathe with lungs and which breathe with gills? Is there a fish that actually spits water to hunt? Who has the most impressive camouflage? Observe hundreds of amazing animal adaptations on a guided scavenger hunt through the Aquarium.

Food Chain Program (Grades 4-8)

Monday, March 13 or Tuesday, March 14, 10:15 -11:30am

After working as a team to build both a freshwater and saltwater food chain, journey into the Aquarium to find out what animals eat. Learn how certain animals avoid becoming prey by utilizing venomous spines, poisonous glands, incredible camouflage and more. Explore what and how aquatic producers, herbivores, carnivores and omnivores eat. Discover how humans fit into the food chain too!

Career Days

Are you a middle school or high school homeschool student? Check out our Career Day programs.

Questions?

Email education@greaterclevelandaquarium.com or call 216.862.8803 x 7715.