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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

Upcoming Video Webinars

Explore DNA species identification techniques with Science How on Thursday, learn about ostracodes on Fossil Friday, and make your own plant press with Natural History at Home on Saturday. Get the full schedule.
Montage of three images - DNA specialist Sarah Luttrell, paleontologist Gene Hunt, and a woman helping her daughter make a craft.
blue and yellow virus detail of Jiro Wada

Online Exhibit: Outbreak

The content of our exhibition, "Outbreak: Epidemics in a Connected World," is now available online. Read and explore to gain some context for the current pandemic we are confronting.

Geologist Ben Andrews and Maggy Benson at a table doing a demonstration with a tray of dry ice while wearing protective glasses.

Science How Webcast Archives

These videos feature Smithsonian experts and are aligned with national standards. There are 52 shows about topics in Earth Science, Life Science, Paleontology, and Social Studies.
 

Smithsonian Science How

Ask Science How

Do you have a question after exploring some of our resources? Are you curious about how to become a scientist? Submit your question and we'll send you a response from one of our science experts. 

Geologist Elizabeth Cottrell gestures with her hands while sitting at a table talking to two students.

Search Teaching Resources

Featuring more than 130 options, our collection includes science worksheets, videos, and literacy resources. 

Plastic cast of a male modern human right femur. The cast displays the pathology of an unset healed fracture. Catalog number EO401737.

Featured Collections

Practice your science skills: See how comparing collection specimens can lead to new discoveries. 

Two biocubes - one made from aluminum tubes painted green, the other made out of rolled up magazines.

Biocube at Home

Investigate biodiversity just outside your home! Get instructions to do this biology project with materials you have at home.

 

Resources for Educators

Image of large plume of dark ash emerging from the top of a volcano.
Video: What Is Volcanic Ash?
Dark rock with lighter embedded swirls
Extinction Over Time
Looking down at a beige skeleton of a boy that is partially excavated in a pit in the ground.
Forensic Anthropology
Illustration of animals near the ocean floor 510 million years ago. A large squid-like creature hovers over smaller organisms.
Early Life on Earth - Animal Origins
Smithsonian forensic anthropologist points out area of interest in a piece of bone to students.
Written in Bone
Colorful world map showing areas of seismic activity
Video: Plate Tectonics
A girl and an adult sitting at a table, looking at a laptop computer.

Smithsonian Distance Learning

See all the digital education resources from Smithsonian, including Learning Lab, resources for District of Columbia Public Schools, national resources, and more.