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Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History
Three teenage students gathered by a microscope on a table, 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.
Three teenagers look into an exhibit case of minerals, as seen from through the case on the other side. There are eight minerals in the image, of various sizes and shapes and ranging in color from white to black.

School Programs

We offer programs for Grades K to 12. In spring 2026, we are piloting a new in-person program, Exhibit Explorations.

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

Q?rius: Limited Open Hours

Q?rius, The Coralyn W. Whitney Science Education Center, is now open Friday and Saturday afternoons. Come use microscopes, handle some of the collection objects, solve science puzzles, and more.

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

Teaching Resources

Featuring more than 300 options, our collection includes activities, videos, and science literacy resources for Grades K to 12.

Highlighted Resources

A woman with shoulder-length brown hair, wearing a navy blue blazer over a royal blue shirt, stands next to an open drawer of coral specimens. The drawer is one of many in a cabinet of drawers.
Vídeo: Mineralogía del coral
Dark rock with lighter embedded swirls
Article: Extinction Over Time
A medium-skin-toned man looking down at two small, green baby animals he is holding.
Scientist Spotlight Videos
Red, gold, and black cape made from Hawaiian bird feathers
Featured Collections
Two light-skinned women and one dark-skinned man holding fossils while standing behind a table with fossils on it, including what looks like a model of a skeleton of a long-necked creature with flippers. A large fossil of a similar creature embedded in stone stands upright to the left of the people.
Smithsonian Science How Video Archives
Color illustrations of a humpback whale, a clouded leopard, and a barred owl. Below the animals are small black and white drawings of an apple, a glass, lovebirds, and a house.
Video: Explore Animal Adaptations
Type a keyword or term, then hit "Enter" to search more than 300 resources for students in Grades K-12.
Five teenagers — three girls and two boys — standing together, smiling, in a science lab. Three of the teens are wearing white lab coats. One boy is waving.

High School Internships

Learn about the museum’s 2026 summer high school paid internship program for youth ages 15 to 18. Applications are being accepted through March 20.

A person sitting at a table with one hand on a laptop keyboard. The laptop screen is displaying a dinosaur skull.

Distance Learning

Access the digital education resources from Smithsonian, including Learning Lab, resources for District of Columbia Public Schools, and national resources. (Link goes to the Learning Lab website.)