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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.
Five teenagers sitting around a table that is covered with paper. Some of the teens are holding magic markers. A disassembled cellphone is on the table and there is writing on the paper near the cellphone parts.

School Programs

We offer in-person and online school programs aligned with standards for Grades K to 12. Registration is open for programs through December 19, 2025.

Color illustration of an erupting cone volcano, with red, orange, and yellow lava exploding out of the top, with a white cloud of steam and ash above it.

Student Art Gallery

Students in grades K to 12, submit your volcano artwork to the Smithsonian Global Volcanism Program's K to 12 Volcano Art Gallery. The deadline has been extended to November 30.

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.
Entomologist Matt Buffington reveals his catch to NHRE class of 2016

2026 Undergrad Internships

Natural History Research Experiences summer internships pair undergraduates with museum scientists to complete a research project in one of our seven science departments. Join us December 9 for an online information session to learn how to apply.

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.)