Skip to main content

Subscribe to Smithsonian magazine and get a FREE tote.

Smithsonian Education

A sampling of the creative projects inspired by artworks and artmaking techniques found within the Hirshhorn’s collections, available from the “Hirshhorn Kids at Home” series. (Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden)

Fun (and Free) Ideas to Keep Kids Learning This Summer

Over 20 unique and creative ideas from across the Smithsonian for engaging learners this summer

As a virtual intern with the National Museum of American History, Samara Angel, works on coordinating a meeting for her professional learning projects in Experience Design. (National Museum of American History)

Can Remote Internships Be a Best Practice Instead of a Band-Aid?

The Smithsonian's Office of Internship Programs reimagines the expanded opportunities remote internships can provide

The digital realm is not limited by the dimensions of the museum walls and instead brings learning experiences to visitors of all ages in new and exciting ways. (Smithsonian American Art Museum)

When the Physical World Meets the Digital World, New Realities Emerge

AR/VR technologies give audiences new ways to experience museums that complement a traditional visit, engaging visitors and fueling learning opportunities

The National Zoo education team created an interactive, virtual field trip experience for 600 D.C. Public Schools kindergarteners to learn more about rainforest habitats, connecting to a children’s book they had read together. Here, the facilitator introduces students to a rainforest resident, the roseate spoonbill. (Smithsonian’s National Zoo)

Imaginations Run Wild with a Virtual Visit to the National Zoo

This spring, reading about the rainforest was reinforced by virtual field trips to the National Zoo, as D.C. Kindergarteners connected with a Zoo educator and a cast of Amazonian animals

Through co-creation efforts with K-12 educators and Asian American community partners, the National Veterans Network, elementary and middle school educators, Asian Pacific American Center interns and National Museum of American History staff, learn more about the stories behind objects. (Smithsonian Asian Pacific American Center)

What's Missing from Classrooms When Asian American and Pacific Islander Voices Aren't Included?

Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders (AAPIs) have been present throughout America’s past through migration, labor, activism, science innovation, art, literature, community organizing, and so much more. When AAPI stories and voices are missing from what students learn, grappling with our current moment of increased hate and violence, and thoughtfully discussing this with students runs the risk of becoming even more difficult without support and resources to contextualize what we are witnessing today.

Through Smithsonian programs, like ARTLAB and the National Youth Summit, museum educators demonstrate how adult mentors can elevate the voices of teens in their communities. (Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden)

How Educators Can Boost and Activate Teen Voices

Smithsonian educators, dedicated to amplifying the voices of teens, share their suggestions on how to support young leaders’ efforts without disrupting their individual agency.

A participant from Cooper Hewitt, Smithsonian Design Museum's

Understanding the Power of Primary Sources through Home, Hand, and Heart

Primary sources provide learners of all ages with opportunities for deep engagement. Staff from across the Smithsonian share memorable moments in their work that have helped audiences activate their senses, make deep connections to people of the past and see their own home in new ways.

Children participate in a hands-on science activity with the Smithsonian Latino Center for a Dia del Niño festival hosted by LA Plaza de Cultura y Arte in Los Angeles, California. (Smithsonian Latino Center)

Bringing the Smithsonian to Learners Beyond the Museum

Educators can make a big difference in the lives of young students who have never met a scientist, seen a microscope, or been to a museum.

Bioimplantable device. Developed by Ellis Developments Ltd., manufactured by Pearsalls Ltd., designed by Prof. Simon Frostick, Dr. Lars Neumann, Prof. W. Angus Wallace, and Dr. Alan McLeod between 1997 and 2003, textile designed by Peter Butcher in 2004. Polyester. Cooper Hewitt, Smithsonian Design Museum, Gift of Ellis Developments, Ltd., 2004-15-1. Photo: Matt Flynn © Smithsonian Institution

The Unexpected Connections that Fuel Remarkable Innovations

Learn how to train the brain to be ready to generate new ideas everyday and find great ideas that strike a meaningful balance between inevitable and unexpected.

Elisa Hough interviews Dennis Zotigh (Kiowa/San Juan Pueblo/Santee Dakota), a cultural specialist at the National Museum of the American Indian. (Daniel Martinez, Center for Folklife and Cultural Heritage, Ralph Rinzler Folklife Archives.)

Learning through Listening

The pandemic has provided the rare opportunity for many of us to slow down and listen to the world around us. At the Smithsonian, listening is an essential part of our work. Listening to individuals, communities, and organizations helps us better understand and serve the public as well as document and preserve our nation’s history.

At the Smithsonian, educators have used the pedagogy of game-based learning to create innovative programs and activities that open the door to vast content and collections for learners of all ages. (National Museum of Natural History)

Changing the Game with Game-Based Learning

Learn how museum educators at the Smithsonian are going all in with game mechanics for learning and embracing the playful, experimental side of education through the structure of familiar games.

How Museums Can Be Spaces for Reflection and Connection (Even with Their Doors Closed)

The pandemic has shown that museums have an important role to play as integral members of their communities.

This telescope located in Cerro Tololo, Chile is just one of many within the MicroObservatory Robotic Telescope Network. (Smithsonian Astrophysical Observatory)

Aiming for the Stars

This freely available technology tool provides a unique learning experience for budding astronomers and artists alike.

When abstract concepts, such as fairness, race and differences, are explored with picture books, spoken about during play or introduced in activities like art-making, they are accessible to children and better understood. (Jaclyn Nash, National Museum of African American History and Culture)

Starting Conversations that Support Children Before Traumatic Events Happen

Several events over the last year have left caregivers and educators asking, “What do we tell children now?" But, it’s time to ask ourselves what we are going to say and do before the next time this happens. Our conversations with children need to shift from being reactive to being proactive.

Learning about a major news event as it transpires can be stressful for families to navigate and process together. (Getty Images)

Talking to Children After a Traumatic Event

As details about traumatic events unfold in the news, it is important for families to navigate these conversations with young children with care.

When the 2020-2021 school year started, 39 of the nation’s 50 largest school systems were among those that chose a distance learning instructional model. (ake1150sb/iStock/Getty Images Plus)

Learning Science at Home

Homes are special places of discovery, abounding with scientific phenomena and engineering marvels.

Middle school students learning with educational resources on American Indian removal produced by the National Museum of the American Indian. (Alex Jamison)

Transforming Teaching and Learning About Native Americans

An ongoing goal of the National Museum of the American Indian is to change the narrative of Native Americans in U.S.'s schools.

Museum educator Christopher Williams engages with student visitors during a Community Day in 2018. (Leah Jones, National Museum of African American History and Culture)

Cause and Effect: Stories of Inspiration and Representation in Education

Three Smithsonian educators pinpoint their motivations for careers in museums.

Theaster Gates, Ground rules. Free throw, 2015, wooden flooring, Smithsonian American Art Museum, Museum purchase through the Luisita L. and Franz H. Denghausen Endowment, 2017.40, © 2015, Theaster Gates (Smithsonian American Art Museum)

How Art and Metaphor Help Students Unpack Complex Ideas

Smithsonian educators share how they frame artworks to explore complex ideas with students.

Since the start of the pandemic, people all over the world have increased their time spent with nature. (Smithsonian National Zoo and Conservation Biology Institute)

Connecting (and Reconnecting) with the Natural World

Smithsonian educators provide tips for making the outdoors your very own curiosity-sparking classroom.

Categories
Archive

Page 6 of 7