Exploring the Cleveland Aquarium

An Ohio Homeschool Field Trip

This past week our little family was in Cleveland Ohio. My Beloved husband was working a freelance television production job as an audio engineer for the MAC Conference Basketball Tournament at the Q Arena. 

Since he was going to be in Cleveland for the week anyway we decided that Little Man and I would tag along and spend the week field tripping through the city. We managed to take four field trips while we were there as well as taste some local fare. Over the next few weeks I’ll be sharing some of the experiences we enjoyed while there. 

The Aquarium

Our first trip was to the +Greater Cleveland Aquarium on Tuesday. Being the early part of the week it was pretty quiet in there. We were able to explore at a relaxed rate and ask a lot of questions from the staff. 

Given that this year we are studying Apologia’s Swimming Creatures of the 5th Day I really felt this trip was specifically beneficial to our year. 

There was a good variety of fish both from rivers and oceans. They also have an area with turtles which are rescues and were formerly pets. Those you can touch.  I enjoyed listening to my son laugh and make faces at the fish. I’m always amazed at the different shapes of fish that God created in the waters of the world. 

We really enjoyed the Stingray Touch Pool. These are such fascinating creatures. They swim very fast, and in the tank, which is round, they swim in a circle around the edge. Interestingly they mostly swim in a counter clockwise circle. Occasionally one will reverse course but only for a brief period of time. 

Being a touch pool, you are allowed to touch the stingray. Just holding 2 fingers slightly into the surface of the water and being very patient will lead to stingrays swimming upward toward your finger and then gliding across your hand before swimming back low again. Little Man was a little less patient than I was, but eventually he was able to touch several of them. I could have stood there all day! 

They also have a shark tank with a tunnel that allows you to walk under the tank. There were several sharks, rays, and other sea creatures in the tank. It was fun to walk beneath them as they swim above your head. The aquarium staff dive in the tank several times a day to clean the tank and they will also interact with the children. 

What You Need to Know

• Cost: I’ve been to larger aquariums, but felt overwhelmed by the crowds. I was thrilled with the size and overall feel of the facilities. I do think the cost was a bit high, it was $34 for myself and my son which breaks down to $19.95 for adult and $13.95 for child. But, as a homeschool mom, knowing that I was extending his studies from the classroom to both visual and hands on learning I feel the cost was worth the reward. Especially for something like this which I could never provide in our own home . 

• I’ve learned that they do offer discounts to groups, so if going with a co-op or meet up group, call ahead and book a tour.

• If you go, pack a lunch. They do have a cafe on the premises, but given the cost of the tickets and ,as is usual in such venues, the higher cost of average food, it would help you save a bit to pack your own lunch. We did not since we were in travel mode and we paid about $20 for 2 individual pizzas and 2 drinks. 

• To find out more, visit their website, Greater Cleveland Aquarium. It is located in The Flats district of Cleveland. 

This post is part of iHomeschool Network’s Best Homeschool Field Trips link up.