Free Admission to the Cincinnati Museum Center for College Students in September!

Open daily, 10am-5pm. Cincinnati Museum Center, 1301 Western Avenue, Cincinnati, OH 45203.

Cincinnati Museum Center is offering free admission to college students for September. Just show your student ID and you’ll get museum admission to the Museum of Natural History & Science, The Cincinnati History Museum, and the Children’s Museum. This promotion does not include admission to special exhibits or Omnimax films.

Civic Garden Center – The Fall Native Plant Festival

Saturday, September 12, 9am-3pm. Civic Garden Center, 2715 Reading Rd, Cincinnati, OH 45206.

Are you a native plant novice? Expert? Somewhere in between?

Join us for the Civic Garden Center’s annual Fall Native Plant Festival on Saturday, September 12, 9am to 3pm! Whether you don’t know what a native plant is or have been growing them for years, this free, multi-vendor celebration of all things native plants is for you. You’ll be able to buy plants and get expertise from a wide variety of our region’s native plant growers.

The festival also includes free mini educational sessions, local organizations, live music, food and drinks, family-friendly activities, and more. Want to stay in the loop? Make sure you’re signed up for our twice-monthly eNews, The Civic Gardener, and we’ll share updates as we have them!

Neighbors in the Know (Online) Session 6: Good Buffers Make Good Neighbors

Wednesday, September 16th, 6:00-7:30pm. ONLINE. Preregistration is required.

Program Description: 

• September 16, 2026: Good Buffers Make Good Neighbors
  • Guests John McManus (Director of Clermont Soil and Water Conservation District), Clete Benken (Director of Landscape Architecture for KZF Design) and Frank Birkenhauer (past president of the Mill Creek Watershed Council, Northern Kentucky Alumni Board of Directors, and Western Economic Council) will discuss ways to protect nature when developing land.

Series Description: It’s said that knowledge is power. This series will help residents of Clermont County’s fourteen townships become more powerful advocates for their communities. Together, we’ll explore how decisions are made that impact the quality and character of our communities. These live online talks can be enjoyed from the comfort of your home, select Wednesdays, February 18–November 18.

DinoBuddies Night Survey & Hike

Wednesday, September 23rd 8:00 – 10:00 pm.  Gorman Heritage Farm, 10052 Reading Road, Cincinnati, OH 45241.

Join us on the farm for a family friendly night hike and meet some of the nocturnal creatures that call it home! Grab a flashlight and come explore the farm after dark. We’ll search for salamanders, listen for nighttime sounds, and keep our eyes peeled for the creatures that emerge when the sun goes down. It’s a fun evening of wildlife spotting, fresh air, and discovering a side of the farm most visitors never get to see. This is a fun outdoor adventure for curious nature lovers of all ages!

Family Vermicomposting Workshop: Build Your Own Living Compost System

Wednesday, September 9, 6:00 – 8:00 pm, Gorman Heritage Farm, 10052 Reading Road, Cincinnati, OH 45241.

Create a home worm bin, learn composting basics, and take home your own living system. Fun, hands‑on sustainability for the whole family! Turn food scraps into garden gold — with the help of tiny, hard‑working worms. In this interactive, family‑focused workshop, participants will learn the science of vermicomposting and build a fully functioning worm bin to take home. All materials are provided — including the bin, bedding, tools, and red wiggler worms! Participants are encouraged to bring some food scraps from home to feed their worms.

This program is perfect for curious kids and adults. Families will explore how worms transform waste into nutrient‑rich compost, discover what makes a healthy worm habitat, and learn how to keep their bin thriving all year long. Participants will leave with: A complete, ready‑to‑use vermicompost bin The knowledge to care for their worms with confidence A deeper understanding of soil health, sustainability, and the magic of decomposition.

FAQs: What does my ticket include? 1 ticket includes: Admission for your family to this program (up to 2 adults and 4 children), plus admission to the farm to explore before the program Materials to build one fully functioning vermicompost bin for your household Take-home information to care for your worm bin Can I attend this class by myself? Absolutely! Adults by themselves are welcome to join. Anyone under 18 must be accompanied by an adult.

Science Harvest

Wednesday, September 16, 4:00-7:00pm. Northside Farmer’s Market, Hoffner Park, 4109 Hamilton Ave, Cincinnati.

Science Harvest is a local science outreach initiative of the Center for Public Engagement with Science (PEWS). This program strives to share science with local communities through two-way conversations about science and hands-on science activities. Scientists bring bring hands-on activities and demonstrations to share with people of all ages to the Northside Farmer’s Market in Cincinnati monthly.

Ignite Ecological Change! – Advanced Inquiry Program Application Goes Live This Month!

Application goes live in September, due February 15, 2027. ONLINE.

The Advanced Inquiry Program (AIP) is a one-of-a-kind, online master’s degree program from Miami University (Oxford, OH) and Project Dragonfly, in partnership with the Cincinnati Zoo & Botanical Garden. Created for working professionals, the AIP immerses students in collaborative inquiry and action as they champion change for the environment and their local community. Through web-based coursework from Miami and face-to-face experiential learning and field study at the Zoo, you will connect with classmates, Miami University faculty, Zoo experts, and community leaders locally, nationally, and globally.

If an entire program is too much, you can join us for professional development by taking one or two courses.

Dry Dredgers Program: The Deicke Outage: A Midwest Extinction Event

Friday, September 25th, 8:00 – 9:30 pm. Braunstein Hall, Room 201, 2825 Campus Way, Cincinnati, OH 45219

Join the Dry Dredgers to learn about Ordovician volcanism and its effects on the fossils of the Midwest, with visiting speaker John Catalani (Mid-American Paleontology Society; Earth Science Club of Northern Illinois). 453 million years ago, the Midwest was covered by a shallow subtropical sea. Hundreds of miles to the east, the edge of ancestral North America was colliding with a series of islands and microcontinents to uplift a great mountain chain, one of the predecessors of the modern Appalachians. This turmoil produced enormous volcanic eruptions that are among the largest in earth history, with volcanic ash deposits that have been traced from Georgia to Minnesota, over 500,000 square miles. How were ancient midwestern sea creatures affected by these eruptions? Join us to find out! Visitors welcome!

Cincinnati Nature Center’s Native Plants 101 (ONLINE)

Tuesday, September 15–Monday, October 26, 2026. ONLINE. Preregistration is required by September 14 at 12:00 pm (noon). 

Bring life to your outdoor space while helping the natural world! In this practical, self-paced, 12-hour online course, you’ll discover the human and ecological benefits of planting native, learn about powerhouse native plants, and create a garden plan that fits your outdoor space (and personality!). From site assessment to plant choice and maintenance, this course will give you the tools you need to get started with native gardening in your backyard or community.

Course topics include: 

• Definition of “native plants” and other key terms 
• Human and ecological benefits of planting native 
• Site assessment for creating a native garden 
• “Powerhouse” native plants 
• Creating a plant list 
• Navigating the nursery 
• Starting and planting a plot 
• Garden design basics 
• Seasonal care and maintenance 
• Inspirational case studies

Cincinnati Nature Center’s Ohio Certified Volunteer Naturalist (OCVN) Course

Begins January 1, 2027. ONLINE. 2027 Registration Opens September 1 at 9 am

2027 Course Dates Available | Registration opens September 1, 2026
Cincinnati Nature Center is proud to be a host site and partner with Ohio State University Extension for this 40-hour educational course that includes 10 educational topics taught by experts and community stakeholders from across the region. You will build your knowledge of critical science and natural history concepts, and practice your 21st-century naturalist skills. Our topics include environmental education, birds, geology, weather and climate, water resources, soils, plants and fungi, insects, reptiles and amphibians, and mammals. The Ohio Certified Volunteer Naturalist (OCVN) program equips Ohioans with research‑based training in ecology, interpretation, and stewardship, then helps connect graduates with volunteer service opportunities that advance conservation statewide.

Tri State STEM + Conference

Thursday, October 15th, 12:00 – 8:00pm. University of Cincinnati. Registration open now!

Join fellow P-12 educators from the tri-state and beyond to explore STEM, STEAM, and STREAM education instruction, technology, and cutting edge techniques.

Discover how you can become the catalyst for change and develop future STEM talent!