Find answers to teachers' commonly asked questions.
May I schedule a visit?
We welcome students and young visitors to the museum! You are welcome to visit at any time during public visiting hours without registering. As part of our safety measures to protect everyone’s health, we ask groups larger than 12 to break into smaller groups while touring the museum. All children (under the age of 18) must be accompanied by an adult chaperone. When accompanying children, one (1) adult can chaperone up to a maximum of five (5) children. See our Plan Your Field Trip page for more information.
Where can I find lessons or activities from the museum?
All of the museum’s online educational resources—including lesson plans, activities, interactives, and media—are on our education page. Materials are searchable by keyword, grade level, historical era, and national standards.
Do your programs travel to classrooms?
The museum provides national outreach to students via the web. In addition to hundreds of online resources, the museum offers an annual webcast event for secondary students, the National Youth Summit. For information on upcoming webcasts and other live online programming, please register for the museum’s monthly email newsletter.
How can I find out about new resources for educators?
Sign up for our monthly e-newsletter or follow us on social media to receive information about new resources, tours, and events for educators and their students.
May I schedule a professional development session?
Yes. A limited number of 90-minute workshops on civics education, object-based learning, and STEAM integration are available. Our schedule fills quickly, so please contact the museum a minimum of four weeks prior to the date of the proposed workshop or webinar. Email the education team at historyteachers@si.edu for additional information or to request a workshop. Include the name of the group, preferred date, number of teachers, and the grade levels and subjects the participants teach.
We also provide district-level professional development at locations across the country. For more information, contact Orlando R. Serrano, Jr. at serranoo@si.edu.