Distance Learning
The Smithsonian Science Education Center has developed the following STEM resources to support “Distance Learning” needs for students in grades K-8. We designed this site for everyone—students, teachers, and caregivers. It includes standards-aligned educational games, simulations, videos, eBooks, and hands-on lessons that require simple materials found at home. Some resources require technology. Others can be printed out and used in low-tech environments. This multi-modal approach is designed to support equity and access learning goals. To learn more about "Learning Science at Home" read this recent article from our Director.
Vaccines! How can we use science to help our community make decisions about vaccines?
Ages 8-18 years old | Sustainable Development Goals
Vaccines! How can we use science to help our community make decisions about vaccines? will help young people learn more about the concerns of their community in order to communicate accurate, helpful, and trusted information about vaccines.
Stories of Women in STEM at the Smithsonian
Ages 9-14 | STEM Education
Stories of Women in STEM at the Smithsonian features biographies of trailblazing women who made history through their scientific discoveries and innovation.
Simulations
Games
Shutterbugs: Wiggle and StompKindergarten | Physical ScienceShutterbugs teaches students how to describe movement and motion while visiting rare animals at the Smithsonian National Zoological Park. Each animal has coloring-page printouts, so you can print and color your favorite critter. |
Tamiʼs Tower: Letʼs Think About EngineeringGrades K-2 | Engineering DesignIt’s lunch time and Tami, the golden lion tamarin, is hungry! Help Tami reach the delicious fruit by building a tower. But watch out! Other animals can cause Tami’s tower to topple over. Tami’s Tower: Let’s Think About Engineering is an educational engineering design game that will help teach your student how to design a solution to a problem using basic engineering design principles. |
Showbiz SafariGrades 1-3 | Life ScienceLights! Camera! Action! Our movie director needs your help! Help Walrus pick actors based on the traits that best fit the movie role. Which furry mammal will get the most wanted role in the blockbuster film “Paws”? Which water loving actor will get the leading role in “Swimmin’ in the Rain”? We need your help to find out! Showbiz Safari is an educational life science game that will help teach your student about the diversity of plants and animals in different habitats. |
Whale Protection CorpsGrades 2-4 | Life ScienceThe Whale Protection Corps needs your help! Every year, ships carry goods to and from the coast of California. But, the west coast is also home to several migrating humpback whales that could get hit by the ships! In this simulation, use no-go zones, slow zones, and whale reporting to find a balanced solution to protect the whales! Also available in Spanish. |
Aww Snap! a Snapdragon StudyGrades 2-6 | Life ScienceAww snap, we have a mystery to solve! We need you to watch these bees closely and count how many times they visit the different color snapdragon flowers. Maybe then you can find out why the white snapdragons keep covering the mountainside!. Aww Snap! a Snapdragon Study is a life science game where players get to become field researchers. Observe and collect data, interpret your findings, and try to find your own answer to the mystery of the white snapdragons! |
HabitatsGrades 3-5 | Life ScienceDo you know where the red-eyed tree frog calls home? Play this game based on animal habitats to learn! Explore the desert, coral reef, jungle, and marsh to discover where many animals live by matching each animal to their correct habitat!
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Morphy!Grades 3-5 | Life ScienceMorphy and his fellow alien crew have crash-landed on a foreign planet! His crewmembers evacuated at different times and are now missing. Help Morphy locate the crew members so that they can repair their spaceship. Beware! Morphy can’t survive this planet on his own. Along the way, Morphy will meet creatures with external traits that will help him survive this strange new world. Guide Morphy throughout this journey to save the missing crew! Morphy is a life science game that teaches students that animals have external structures that function to support survival and behavior. |
Pick Your Plate! A Global Guide to NutritionGrades 4-8 | NutritionTravel around the world with Plato to learn about building healthy meals. Eat avocado toast in Australia, baobab fruit in Benin, and sautéed reindeer in Finland! Yum! Pick your favorite plates for morning, midday, and evening meals. Be sure to meet your daily nutritional needs while not going over your budget! Pick Your Plate! A Global Guide to Nutrition is an educational nutrition game that will help teach students about building healthy meals while using nutritional guidelines from countries around the world! |
Aquation: The Freshwater Access GameGrade 5 | Earth ScienceChoice, strategy, balance, and . . . water equity? Parts of the planet are struggling to get enough water. Use each region's wealth to build pipes, desalinate water, and conduct research to bring water where it's needed most. Monsoons, dry spells, disease, and even cursed lawn sprinklers can help or hinder your progress. Manage your wealth and water carefully to solve the world's water crisis! |
Disaster DetectorMiddle School | Earth ScienceThe citizens of Smithsonville are in dire need of a Disaster Detector! Help Smithsonville and other cities predict and prepare for natural disasters. Use tools to make predictions and save the city from damage by helping citizens prepare properly. Are you up for the challenge? Disaster Detector teaches players how to analyze and interpret data on natural hazards to forecast future catastrophic events and how to implement tools to mitigate the effects of those disasters. |
BumperDucksMiddle School | Physical ScienceThese ducks need your help! Help them reach tasty treats across the pond, but watch out for obstacles! Turtles, frogs, and logs will try and knock you off course. It isn’t easy, but pond friends are there to help! Think you’re up for the challenge? BumperDucks is an educational physical science game that will help teach players about what happens when two objects collide and how mass impacts the acceleration of an object. |
Featured Activity
How Would You Design a Lighthouse?
In this activity, students read about two problems encountered by ships at sea and how lighthouses can solve those problems.
Activities
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Resource
Earth Optimism Indonesia TV | Earth Optimism Education Series
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Blogpost
Take a Smithsonian Lighthouse Tour
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Video
Why is My Shadow Shorter Sometimes and Longer Other Times?
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Resource
How Can We Change an Object’s Motion?
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Resource
How Can I Help an Animal Cross the Road Safely?
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Resource
How Can I Win a Game of Flashlight Tag?
Featured Video
The Global Classroom | How Can I Help an Animal Cross the Road Safely?
Grade 3 | Engineering Design
Reading Excerpts from Science and Technology Concepts Middle School
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Blogpost
What Are Clouds?
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Blogpost
What is Photosynthesis
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Blogpost
An Introduction to Thunderstorms
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Blogpost
Joseph Henry: the Father of Weather Forecasting (And the First Smithsonian Secretary!)
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Blogpost
How Do Birds Navigate?
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Blogpost
What is the Winter Solstice?
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Blogpost
What is the physics behind watching a movie?
Resources for Educators and Caregivers
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Resource
Distance Learning and Digital Resources from the Smithsonian
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Webcast
Difficult Conversations in Extraordinary Times
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Webcast
How to Best Support Your Child’s Science Learning in the Time of COVID-19
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Webcast
Setting Up and Maintaining an Online Science Classroom for Success
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Video
Why is My Shadow Shorter Sometimes and Longer Other Times?
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Girls and Women in STEM
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Smithsonian Science for Global Goals
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Smithsonian Science for Makerspaces
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Good Thinking!
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Success Stories
Dr. Carol O’Donnell is featured on the National PTA podcast Notes from the Backpack! She talked about fostering curiosity, what good science education looks like and how to teach your kids about COVID-19.
Guidance for Supporting Science Learning During COVID-19
During the COVID-19 crisis, many families are looking for helpful educational resources. There are many opportunities to engage in safe, meaningful science learning in your home and neighborhood. SSEC Director, Dr. Carol O’Donnell, is a member of the Council of State Science Supervisors and was invited to contribute to a set of resources that might be useful to students, families, educators, and education leaders:
- Supporting Students’ Science Learning During COVID-19 School Closures [English]
- Guidance for Families: How can families support student science learning at home? [English] [Arabic] [Chuukese] [Korean] [Spanish]
- Guidance for Students: How can you continue science learning at home? [English] [Arabic] [Chuukese] [Korean] [Spanish]
These materials were created under a Creative Commons license and can be adapted to suit your local needs. Layout versions in pdf for distribution, as well as editable versions in Arabic and Spanish, are available here. The Smithsonian appreciates the leadership of the Council of State Science Supervisors (CSSS) and their effort to create documents to improve science learning and ensure excellence and equity during this difficult time.