The 2020 Ohio State Fair has been canceled. Read more.
National Agriculture in the Classroom
Virtually tour different types of farms across the country to learn how your food goes from farm to fork.
COSI Connects: Food Scientist for a Day
Food scientists study the physical, biological, and chemical makeup of food and the scientific concepts involved in processing food. There are many different specialties under the umbrella of food science that cover the process of food production all the way from farm to fork.
Grocery Fun Facts
From the Ohio Farm Bureau Federation's Land & Living Exhibit, use this guided sheet to explore fun facts about the food you eat.
Play Dough
Simple pantry ingredients come together to create a recipe that is fun and easy to make, and even more fun to play with - for hours!
Grocery Activity - Shopping List
The Ohio Farm Bureau Federation is a fun an at-home activity to locate the food items found at the grocery store and their farming origin.
OSU Phun with Physics!
Try this eggcellent at-home physics experiment on density using just a few supplies.
COSI Connects Dairy Careers Activity
What sorts of careers do you think are involved in the dairy industry? Learn how ice cream is made and explore available careers in the process.
Ohio Technology & Engineering Educators Association
Virtual Technology and Engineering Showcase
Where's the Beef?
Explore different beef by-products - like band-aids and sports balls - with these printer-friendly activity sheets.
Beef Placemat Activity
Get restaurant-style activities from the comfort of home. Print this placemat and allow kids to complete it while dinner is being prepared.
Hatching Live Stream
Baby Chickens and Turkeys
Ohio Pork Council
Learn more about Ohio Pork.
Six Spots for Learning at the Ohio State Fair
Sure, the Fair is full of fun, food and rides – but it is also a place where education blends seamlessly into the experience. Here are ways to make sure your little fairgoer and entire family get an educational boost at our 360-acre classroom!
Visit the barns – What better way to learn about animals than up close and personal? There, you can see the animals, and speak to a farmer who raises them to learn about their daily routine, the care the animal receives and how what they do on their farm impacts your daily life. Each day from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m., you can also milk a real cow in the OVMA Veterinary Education Center!
Show off your artistic side – Stop in the modern Cox Fine Arts Center for guided art tours from knowledgeable artists throughout the day. There, your family can learn about numerous art styles, the various media used and the impact of arts on Ohio. Kids can also make their own artistic mark on a giant Fair “Monster Mural” each day in Central Park (with washable paint, of course).
Visit exotic animals – See animals from all over the world without having to leave Ohio! Our free petting zoo located in Meijer Kiddieland has a range of exotic animals including llamas, zebras, antelope, camels and kangaroos.
Learn to farm – Learn about Ohio’s largest industry in fun, hands-on ways in the Nationwide Donahey Land & Living Building with an amazing exhibit curated by the Ohio Farm Bureau Federation. Kids can experience farming equipment from driving pedal tractors and planting corn in tractor simulators to harvesting wheat in combine simulators.
Do an experiment or two – Swing by the Youth Center where you can take part in “Phun with Physics” for some extreme science or meet the Invention League’s Professor Prototype. Take part in fun, hands-on science activities, including launching rockets, the spinning barf wheel of science and so much more. This series is a constantly changing exhibit with experiments in technology, science, engineering and math.
Take in a little nature – The expansive eight-acre Natural Resources Park is an oasis of educational activities – whether you’re interested in seeing some real Ohio wildlife animals, a prairie of tall grass native to the buckeye state, or a geological walkway examining the ancient natural materials that have shaped our great state, this park has something for you. Want an even more concentrated educational experience? Stop by the pavilion, filled with informative exhibits on a variety of natural resource and recreation topics, such as geology, forestry, wildlife, coastal management, mining, conservation, tourism and more.
