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Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History
Three students at a microscope in Q?rius. They are looking at an enlarged display on a monitor.
Department of

Education

Education
We are dedicated to inspiring people of all ages to better understand the natural world and our place in it, by instilling a sense of wonder and responsibility through exhibitions, programs, and online resources.
Featured Content

Live Webcast, Nov. 14: What’s a Lichen?

Teachers, bring a Smithsonian scientist into your classroom! Join Lichenologist Manuela Dal Forno as she shares what lichens are and shows the skills she uses to study them. Students can ask questions via online chat.
Two women and one man hold lichens of different colors – yellow, white, brown, and green – in their outstretched hands.
A man helps a young girl with an activity of sorting items in a tray.

For Families, Nov. 16: Fossil Fest

Gather your friends and family and come meet scientists and learn about the tools and they use to unearth the facts about prehistoric life. Sift for fossils, handle 3D fossil prints, make a mask, watch film shorts, and more!

A museum educator holds up two models of human skulls during a school program in Q?rius.

School Field Trip Programs

Learn about our free, onsite school programs led by museum educators for students in grades K-12. Registration is now open for the 2019-2020 school year.

Students examine Museum collection objects as part of a Q?rius school program. Photo by Jennifer Renteria, Smithsonian.

Get Q?rius

Created for teens and tweens, Q?rius is a science education center that brings the museum’s science, researchers, and collections out from behind the scenes.

Two young girls in white lab coats use a hand lens to examine models of fossils at a table in Q?rius jr. – a discovery room.

Q?rius jr.

Children in grades K-5 get a chance to practice their scientific inquiry skills as they interact with items from the museum's collections. Q?rius jr. is now located in Q?rius, The Coralyn W. Whitney Science Education Center.

Resources for Educators

Geologist Elizabeth Cottrell gestures with her hands while sitting at a table talking to two students.
Search Our Teaching Resources
Looking down at a beige skeleton of a boy that is partially excavated in a pit in the ground.
Forensic Anthropology
Volcano erupting with lava streaming down the side. A forest is at its foot and the eruption is reflected in a dark lake.
When Volcanoes Erupt
Geologist Ben Andrews and Maggy Benson at a table doing a demonstration with a tray of dry ice while wearing protective glasses.
Smithsonian Science How Webcast Archives
Smithsonian forensic anthropologist points out area of interest in a piece of bone to students.
Written in Bone
A green plastic frame in the shape of a cube sitting in the woods on top of some leaves and a log.
Biocubes: Exploring Biodiversity