Life Science Resources | Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History

Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History

These Life Science teaching resources include short articles written by Smithsonian museum educators; curated collections of links to lessons, activities, posters, worksheets, and more; an exciting project; and videos featuring Smithsonian scientists and experts from many of the museum's research departments, including Botany, Entomology, Invertebrate Zoology, and Vertebrate Zoology.

For teaching resources about fossils and extinct animals, visit the Paleontology Resources page.

Featured Resources

Ornithologist Sahas Barve standing at a countertop with four boxes of brightly colored bird specimens.

Video: How Birds Stay Warm

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

Biocube at Home

Drawing of skeleton of Megatherium cuvieri

Smithsonian Libraries: Natural History Subject Guide

Literacy Resources

Posters and Worksheets

Hands-On Activities

Subject Guides

Videos and Webcasts

A Century of Discovery of Sea Urchins and Relatives with Zoologist Dave Pawson
Arthropod Adaptations – Inside the Insect Zoo with former Insect Zoo Manager Dan Babbitt
Assassin Flies – Predators of the Insect World with Entomologist Torsten Dikow
Bird Extinctions – Time Travel through Lava Tubes with Ornithologist Helen James
Butterfly Adaptations – How They Come by Their Colors with Smithsonian Experts
Deep Ocean Discovery – Octopods and Squids with Zoologist Mike Vecchione
Deep Reef Biodiversity – Exploring the Unexplored with Zoologist Carole Baldwin
Ecosystem Change – Plotting with Plant Collections with former Botany Collections Manager Rusty Russell
Evolution of Agriculture in Ants with Entomologist Ted Schultz
Evolution of Whales Animation
Ferns – Curious Life Cycles and Remarkable Biodiversity with Botanist Eric Schuettpelz
Forensic Ornithology – Bird Detective with Ornithologist Carla Dove
How Birds Stay Warm with Ornithologist Sahas Barve
How to Discover a New Mammal Species with Zoologist Kris Helgen
Human Impacts and Extinction of Freshwater Snails with Zoologist Ellen Strong
Living Together – Parasites and Hosts with Zoologist Anna Phillips
Measuring Biodiversity – Life in One Cubic Foot with Marine Biologist Chris Meyer
Mineral Transformations – Demystifying Microbes with Geologist Cara Santelli
Ocean Biodiversity – Discovering Marine Invertebrates with Zoologist Karen Osborn
Powerful Predators – Adaptations of Trap-jaw Spiders with Entomologist Hannah Wood
Tracking the Health of Coral Reefs with Smithsonian marine scientists
Webinar: Feather Identification with Ornithologist Carla Dove
Webinar: How Birds Stay Warm with Ornithologist Sahas Barve
Webinar: Jellyfish Live! with Zoologist Allen Collins
Webinar: Mosquitoes and the Diseases They Carry
Webinar: Ocean Motion with Marine Biologist Karen Osborn and Dance Teachers Kylie Murray and Sara Lavan
Webinar: Pandemic Past, Pandemic Present with Medical Historian Mark Honigsbaum
Webinar: Predicting Pandemics with Dennis Carroll
Webinar: Swimming Sea Snails with Marine Biologist Stephanie Bush
Webinar: Teen Earth Optimism-Coral Reefs with Marine Scientist Melanie McField
Webinar: Teen Earth Optimism-Exploring Coast Ecosystems with Ecologists Alex Lowe
Webinar: Teen Earth Optimism-How Climate Change Affects Cities with Climate Scientist Jeremy Hoffman
Webinar: Ticks and the Diseases They Carry
Webinar: What Makes Fish so Fishy? with Ichthyologist Adela Roa-Varon
What's a Lichen? How a Smithsonian Scientist Studies a Unique Symbiosis with Lichenologist Manuela Dal Forno

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We have more than 200 resources in six topic areas.

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