Smithsonian Education

Legend has it that in 1927, Charles A. Lindbergh stayed awake and alert for over 30 hours to complete the first ever solo non-stop transatlantic flight from New York to Paris in 1927…but what if he had help?

Join us for a FREE live training event for educators. Learn to facilitate a sci-fi themed interactive STEM adventure centered around exploring the Spirit of St. Louis, where learners ages 8-10 travel back in time to ensure Lindbergh makes history! Register here: guardup.com/spirit-of-stlouis

National Air and Space Museum, Smithsonian Institution

Calling All Early Childhood Educators!
The Smithsonian is conducting a nationwide survey on nature-based learning in early childhood classrooms. Your input will help shape future resources and professional development for educators.

✅ No prior experience with nature play required
⏱ Takes 10–15 minutes
🎁Complete the survey and receive a free set of nature play teaching materials!
👉 Take the Survey! https://s.si.edu/3KGL22h

Thank you for helping us support nature-based learning!

Smithsonian Early Childhood Nature-Based Learning You are invited to participate in a nationwide survey of early childhood educators to help the Smithsonian understand the state of nature-based learning in classrooms across the country.

Season's Greetings from the Smithsonian's Office of the Under Secretary for Education.

Thank you for being an important part of the Smithsonian Education community.

Wishing you a wonderful holiday and joyful new year!

📸: Office of the Under Secretary for Education staff, interns, and fellows gather together at the 2025 Smithsonian National Education Summit reception. Photo by Norwood Photography.

Lights, camera... educate! This month, the Regional Collaboratives team invited educators from across the Smithsonian to film for a new website featuring civic learning resources in honor of the nation's 250th anniversary. It was a fun day to hone our camera skills, try out being a director, see how the crew prepares stars 'behind the scenes,' and mostly to get excited about the ways our colleagues are engaging youth nationwide in civic dialogue.

Bravo to our great colleagues from the Smithsonian Office of the Under Secretary for Education, National Museum of American History, Smithsonian American Art Museum and the Renwick Gallery, and Cooper Hewitt.

Stay tuned for more details on our new digital resource later in Spring 2026! 🤩🎬🍿

What is it about habitats that makes animals feel at home? Join Smithsonian’s National Zoo and Conservation Biology Institute's Conservation Classroom for a free K-5 virtual program on Wednesday, December 10th at 2pm ET. Explore habitats around the globe and discover what they offer for animals to become permanent residents. Register and explore resources here: https://s.si.edu/3CgxwxU

What Makes a Habitat a Home? Always free of charge, the Smithsonian’s National Zoo is one of Washington D.C.’s, and the Smithsonian’s, most popular tourist destinations, with more than 2 million visitors from all over the world each year. The Zoo instills a lifelong commitment to conservation through engaging experiences ...

Are you attending the National Council for the Social Studies conference in Washington, D.C.? If so, stop by our booth in the exhibition hall ( #235) today and tomorrow to say hello. We've got lots of free giveaways perfect for social studies and civics teaching across PK-12, including classroom posters, bookmarks, and student guides.

📸: Smithsonian educators, Cody Coltharp (Office of the Under Secretary for Education), Renée Gokey (Smithsonian’s National Museum of the American Indian), Yadira Hadlett (NMAI), Phoebe Hillemann (Smithsonian American Art Museum and the Renwick Gallery), and Anthony Bullard (NMAI), sharing our latest education resources from across our network of museums and research centers.

This December 5-7, join museum educators from across the Smithsonian for the 105th National Council for the Social Studies Annual Conference in Washington, D.C.!

Dive into fresh teaching ideas, cutting-edge edtech, and new pedagogical approaches that'll set the pace for 2026 and many years to follow.

Smithsonian-led pre-conference and conference sessions include:
-Creative Freedom: Art, Portraiture, and Civic Action at Smithsonian American Art Museum and the Renwick Gallery and National Portrait Gallery USA
-Portraits of a Nation: Inspiring Democracy at the National Portrait Gallery featuring the museum's Teen Council
-Creating Portraits of Community with Smithsonian American Art Museum, National Museum of American History, and National Portrait Gallery
-Investigating World Religions through Primary Sources with Smithsonian National Museum of Asian Art
-Unleashing the Power of Music in the Social Studies Classroom with Smithsonian Folklife Smithsonian Folkways Recordings

Plus, visit us at exhibition hall booth #235 for free giveaways, including posters, teaching guides, and bookmarks.

➡️ Learn More: https://www.socialstudies.org/conference/registration