Monique M. Chism, PhD

Smithsonian Under Secretary

for Education

As we welcome the arrival of spring, April promises to be a month full of exciting events and opportunities for learning. This month, we feature resources for STEM Education Month, the Week of the Young Child, the solar eclipse, and Earth Week. These resources offer practical and inspiring ways to engage with science, early childhood education, astronomy, and environmental stewardship.

Our educators across the Smithsonian are also leading a wide range of events, workshops, and online activities this month that we’re sure you’ll enjoy. We hope this newsletter provides inspiration for your next great lesson or classroom conversation.

Save the Date!

Can’t wait for the next Summit? Save the dates for next year's Smithsonian National Education Summit: July 16-18, 2024. More details are forthcoming and registration is anticipated to open in May 2024. In the meantime, revisit some of your favorite 2023 sessions here.

2023 Education Impact Report Released

Learn how Smithsonian educators provided invaluable support and resources to learners around the world this past year in the 2023 Smithsonian Education Impact Report.

Cosmic Journey

Join us on a cosmic journey that takes us from our closest star, the sun, to the far reaches of the universe with events and virtual resources from across the Smithsonian.

Grades PK–12. Events, articles, interactive websites, and museum objects.

Weather Lab App

April showers bring… this interactive tool designed by the Smithsonian Science Education Center that helps visualize how North America’s weather is formed by modeling the complex interactions between air masses and ocean currents.

Grades 5–8. Interactive app. Desktop/Laptop/Mobile/Tablet devices. Earth and Space Science.

Smithsonian Early Learning Resources

Museums are for learners of all ages and abilities. Resources and events on this new webpage, curated by the Smithsonian Early Learning Collaborative, teach children active observation and questioning skills that will help them stay curious and become critical thinkers and creative problem solvers.

Grades PK–2. Includes Hands-on Activities, Events, and Stories for Early Learners.

Solar Eclipse Resources

This resource page by the National Air and Space Museum has you covered for the upcoming solar eclipse. It contains activities, maps, videos, eclipse glasses resources, and more.

Grades PK–12. Includes Hands-on Activities, Events, Videos, and Instructions.

Podcast: When the Sun Went Out

In this AirSpace podcast by the National Air and Space Museum, you’ll hear about an historical eclipse and the impact it had on the past.

Grades 6–12. Podcast with Transcript.

Earth Optimism Resources

Scientists and educators at the Smithsonian cannot help but feel optimistic that together we can affect positive environmental change by building and sharing knowledge and fostering community engagement.

Discover public programs and resources to inform and inspire your part in creating a sustainable future for us all.

Grades PK–12. Events, Resources, Podcasts, and Featured Exhibitions.

Recommended Reading:

New book series provides window into often untold US Latino histories

In honor of National Reading Month and Women’s History Month, the Smithsonian spotlights a historical fiction series with characters across US Latino history and digitized versions of the museum objects that inspired the stories.

Deep Time Takeover! |  National Museum of Natural History

Join us for a special Play Date as we celebrate "Week of the Young Child" in the Deep Time museum exhibit with friends from around the Smithsonian! 

Experience the David H. Koch Hall of Fossils tailored to our earliest learners! Come make close observations of fossils, play in fossil-inspired ways, and join us for a special early learner march through Deep Time! 

On location. April 12, 2024, 10:00AM–12:00PM EDT.

Postmarks and Paperbacks: Pride and Prejudice |  National Postal Museum

The National Postal Museum’s quarterly virtual book club returns with a literary classic—Jane Austen’s “Pride and Prejudice” may not be the first title that comes to mind when thinking of postal literature, but without the delivery of particularly important letters, the story simply would not unfold as it does. Come join us for a discussion of this instrumental work!

Online. April 15, 2024, 7:00PM–8:00PM, EDT. Registration Required.

Earth Day Family Festival  |  National Portrait Gallery and the Smithsonian American Art Museum

Enjoy musical performances, gallery talks, and craft workshops while you learn about the art and science of environmentalism. Attendees of all ages can enjoy nature-themed activities and children 12 and under can have their faces painted. A scavenger hunt in the galleries features works from both museums that highlight the natural wonders of earth and the various ways artists contribute to the care of our planet. 

On location. April 20, 2024, 11:30AM–3:00PM EDT.

Earth Day Heroes  |  Smithsonian Gardens, National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine

Families and children will explore five rooms that reveal the wonders of Planet Earth. Through interactive exhibits and activities including a scavenger hunt, arts and crafts, hands-on science, and much more, each visitor will become an Earth Day Hero and grow their appreciation for Earth and nature, discover the importance of their choices, and learn about science.

On location. April 20, 2024, 11:00AM–3:00PM EDT.

Online Museum Science Programming

|  National Museum of Natural History

The National Museum of Natural History is now offering online program opportunities for your K–12 class. Pick from one of three programs per grade band: K-2, 3-5 and 6-12. During these museum-educator-led Zoom programs, students will practice observation skills and utilize some of the same scientific skills used by museum scientists! 

Online. April 1, 2024–June 14, 2024. Registration Required.

Glacier: A Climate Change Ballet  |  National Portrait Gallery

It’s Earth Month! In conjunction with the Portrait Gallery’s “Forces of Nature: Voices that Shaped Environmentalism” exhibition, Moveius Contemporary Ballet will present "Glacier: A Climate Change Ballet" in the Kogod Courtyard. Moveius works at the intersection of policy and performance, creating a path for ballet to speak to contemporary issues and stories.

On location. April 28, 2024, 4:00PM–4:45PM EDT. Registration Encouraged.