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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 Video Webcast, March 12: The Cambrian Explosion of Life

Bring a Smithsonian scientist into your classroom! Join Paleontologist Karma Nanglu as he explores fossils from 500 million years ago, when most major animal groups first appeared in the fossil record. Learn how and why scientists study these fossils to understand life on Earth today. Students can ask questions via online chat.
A man leaning against a rock face while wearing a helmet and backpack. Mountains are in the background.
Three people interact at a conversation station at the 2019 Earth Optimism Teen Event.

Earth Optimism Teen Event, 3/14

This year's theme is "Changing the Climate Conversation." The free event is for students ages 13-19 and will feature local food, opportunities to talk with scientists, climate experts, community leaders, and other peers. Registration is recommended.

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
Fragment of fossilized Katsura tree leaf impressions left in rock. USNM Number: NC52119.
New: Featured Collections
Looking down at a beige skeleton of a boy that is partially excavated in a pit in the ground.
Forensic Anthropology
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