Connect your classroom with nature
Living organisms, from the most delicate flower to the toughest coyote, have a lot to teach us. Observe how all kinds of living creatures adapt to and interact with environments and each other. Learners will deepen their understanding of concepts like food chains, migration, and ecosystems. With lesson plans, games, and more, our resources help connect your students to the natural world, both in the classroom and at the museum.
In-museum activities with Plants & Animals
See life science up close with the Field’s diverse specimens.
Everything Has a Purpose | Exploring the Field Guide
Examine why plants and birds have certain features to uncover the relationship between structure and function.Relationships in Ecosystems | Exploring the Field Guide
Investigate an ecosystem by observing the individual organisms as part of a larger structure—a food web.Survival of the Birds | Exploring the Field Guide
Infer whether a bird can survive in a specific environment by observing physical features such as beak, feathers, legs, and feet.
Early Elementary Resources On Plants & Animals
Animal Survival Unit | Early Elementary Science Partnership
Act as consultants to the City of Chicago and assess their relocation plan for urban coyotes.
Mapping and Monarchs Unit | Early Elementary Science Partnership
Learn how to analyze and interpret maps by studying monarch butterfly migration.
Pollination Unit | Early Elementary Science Partnership
Interact with various models to explore the structures of plants and animals related to the process of pollination.
Explore animal adaptations
Why are eggshells so brittle? What can we learn from how animals move? Investigate these questions and more with the Biomechanics Toolkit.
Structure Function Unit | Early Elementary Science Partnership
Design a shoe appropriate for the icy, wet, and cold conditions of Antarctica using different types of bird feet as inspiration.BIOlympics Game | Biomechanics Toolkit
Jump into BIOlympics events to see how animals achieve amazing feats. Use that knowledge to choose competitors for different events.Dome Strength | Biomechanics Toolkit
Discover how much force a seemingly brittle object like an egg can withstand when it’s dome-shaped.
Plant and Animal resources
Showing 117 resources
3D Model: Cryolophosaurus Skull | Dinosaur Toolkit
Use this 3D model to see how scientists reconstruct animals like Cryolophosaurus from the fossil record.
3D Model: Glacialisaurus Foot | Dinosaur Toolkit
Learn how the first giant dinosaurs like Glacialisaurus moved by exploring this 3D model.
3D Model: Tyrannosaurus rex | Dinosaur Toolkit
Interact with this 3D model to find out what we can learn about SUE the T. rex's life by looking at its fossils, then test your knowledge
Advantages of Levers | Biomechanics Toolkit
Test basic lever types and explore the trade-off between a force advantage and speed advantage in the animal world.
Ancient Americas Educator Guide
Investigate diverse cultures across different times and geographic locations in the Ancient Americas exhibition.
Animal Observations | Science Hub at Home
Learn how scientists observe and track animal behavior and how you can do the same with your pets at home.
Animal Survival Unit | Early Elementary Science Partnership
Act as consultants to the City of Chicago and assess their relocation plan for urban coyotes.
Archaeological Footprint | China Toolkit
Analyze how we learn about history through objects and theorize what gaps can exist in object-based stories.
Artifact Observation Guide
Encourage close examination of a single artifact—an object produced by humans—using observations and inferences.
Ask an Artifact | China Toolkit
Discover what you can learn from the objects all around us when you look carefully and apply a specific disciplinary lens. Spanish subtitles available.
At Home Collections | Science Hub at Home
Create your own museum collection at home.
Basket Making Demonstration with Lorene Sisquoc
Watch Lorene Sisquoc teaching and weaving a basket at the Field Museum opening of Native Truths: Our Voices, Our Stories.
Basket Making Discussion & Demo: Lorene Sisquoc and Kelly Church
Listen to and watch Lorene Sisquoc and Kelly Church discuss basket weaving and oral traditions.
Being Big on Land
Learn why being big isn’t always an advantage and find out how mythic creatures like Godzilla and King Kong could never have carried their own weight.
Bergmann's Rule | Biomechanics Toolkit
Uncover how an animal’s size affects its ability to regulate temperature.
BIOlympics Game | Biomechanics Toolkit
Jump into BIOlympics events to see how animals achieve amazing feats. Use that knowledge to choose competitors for different events.
Bird Calls and Songs | PlayLab at Home
Listen to different songs or calls made by local Illinois birds.
Birding 101 | Science Hub at Home
Discover the birds of Chicago with these birding techniques.
Chef Jessica Pamonicutt Discusses Cooking and Fry Bread
Listen to and watch Chef Jessica discuss her career as a chef and fry bread.
Chicago Before Skyscrapers | Exploring the Field Guide
Observe a local ecosystem and infer how Native Americans of the Chicago region have traditionally used these resources.
Confucianism, Daoism, Buddhism | China Toolkit
Explore three major belief systems in China—Buddhism, Confucianism, and Daoism—through art and artifacts.
Conservation in Action | Exploring the Field Guide
Examine different ways that scientists and community members conserve the environment, then analyze the results.
Dinosaur Family Tree | Dinosaur Toolkit
Examine dinosaur physical traits to identify similarities and differences in their features and construct a system of classification.
Diversity of Life | Exploring the Field Guide
Observe animal dioramas to compare and contrast organisms and explore the diversity of life.
Dome Strength | Biomechanics Toolkit
Discover how much force a seemingly brittle object like an egg can withstand when it’s dome-shaped.
Everything Has a Purpose | Exploring the Field Guide
Examine why plants and birds have certain features to uncover the relationship between structure and function.
Evidence in the Unwritten | China Toolkit
Investigate the role of an archaeologist and discover the types of questions that drive their work. Spanish subtitles available.
Exhibition Investigation Guide
Investigate a museum exhibition using the claim, evidence, reasoning cycle.
Exploring Artifacts from the Pacific | Exploring the Field Guide
Observe and analyze artifacts from the Pacific Islands to develop evidence-based claims about how these cultures view the world.
Exploring Cultures | Exploring the Field Guide
Look closely at artifacts to learn how culture and geography create similarities and differences between China and Egypt.
Exploring Language | China Toolkit
Explore the history of writing in China by drawing conclusions about the impact of the written word on human civilizations and how language changes over time.
Exploring Objects | China Toolkit
Analyze objects using varied lenses, including anthropology, history, economics, geography, and art history.
Families Across Place and Time | Exploring the Field Guide
Explore similarities and differences between families across different geographic locations and time periods.
Forces Design Challenge | Biomechanics Toolkit
Use animal structure and function to design a way that humans can reduce the force felt and/or energy absorbed by an object.
From the Field to the Field Museum
Prepare for a field trip or object study by learning how the Field Museum collects and studies specimens and artifacts from around the world.
Furiously Fast Falcons | Science Hub at Home
Figure out how fast you can run and how that compares to some of the fastest and slowest animals on the planet.
Giants from the Past | Dinosaur Toolkit
Analyze and interpret data about sauropods and build a nonfiction narrative about how this group of dinosaurs evolved over millions of years.
Giraffe Heart Dissection | Biomechanics Toolkit
Go behind the scenes in our mammals wet lab to watch the dissection of a giraffe heart.
Grainger Hall of Gems Educator Guide
Explore the geological and cultural significance of a variety of gems.
Herbarium Sheets | PlayLab at Home
Learn about scientists who study plants and create your own herbarium sheet.
Hominid Adaptations | Exploring the Field Guide
Investigate fossil remains of hominids to learn how humans and our relatives evolved over time.
Investigating the Qingming Scroll | China Toolkit
Learn about the contradictions depicted in the Qingming Scroll and compare it with present-day representations of idealized societies.
In Your Backyard | Science Hub at Home
Track down reptiles and amphibians by exploring your own natural spaces.
Island Evolution
Discover why islands contain so many unique species.
Jason Wesaw Speaks About his Art
Listen to and watch Native Truths artist Jason Wesaw, a member of the Potawatomi Nation. His art practice spans many mediums including ceramics, textiles and works on paper.
Jump Like a Frog | Science Hub at Home
Can you leap like a frog? Investigate how frogs jump then compete in a jumping contest.
Karen Ann Hoffman- Native People are Still Here
Listen to Karen talk about the impact the exhibit has on reminding everyone that Native people are still here.
Karen Ann Hoffman on Claiming Space
Listen to Karen talk about the importance and impact of Native work taking up space.
Kindergarten Weather Unit | Early Elementary Science Partnership
Listen to the book Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs and draw comparisons between weather forecasting and responses in Chicago and the fictional town of Chewandswallow.
Life All Over | Science Hub at Home
Even cities are filled with nature. What will you find when you take a closer look?
Lizard or Salamander | Science Hub at Home
Learn how to tell a lizard from a salamnder then challenge to do the same friends and family with a puzzle.
Locomotion Design Challenge | Biomechanics Toolkit
Use animal movement as inspiration to design a new vehicle for traveling via land, water, and air.
Make Your Own Field Guide | Science Hub at Home
Identify the plants and animals that call your ecosystem home.
Make Your Own Field Journal | Science Hub at Home
Document your next adventure with a homemade field journal.
Making Fry Bread with Chef Jessica Pamonicutt
Watch Chef Jessica share how she makes fry bread.
Mammal Phylogeny
Discover how scientists classify the diverse mammals found on Earth.
Mapping and Monarchs Unit | Early Elementary Science Partnership
Learn how to analyze and interpret maps by studying monarch butterfly migration.
Maps | China Toolkit
Analyze maps to draw conclusions about their purpose, audience, and potential bias.
Maya Blue and You | Science Hub at Home
Discover how you use the color blue as compared to the Maya.
Mission to the Mesozoic
Find plants and animals across the Triassic, Jurassic, and Cretaceous time periods in this online game.
Monarch Guide | Home FIELD Advantage
Write and draw to observe monarch butterflies.
Monarchs Legend Story and Coloring Book
Read The Legend of the Parákata or color your own version of the story!
Muscle Model | Biomechanics Toolkit
Explore factors affecting muscle strength using simple models.
Native Truths: Come Alive By Nicole Emmons
Watch the unique animation created for and about the Field Museum's Native Truths: Our Voices, Our Stories exhibit by animator Nicole Emmons.
Neolithic Village Flyover
Explore a reconstruction of the Neolithic village of Szeghalom, which was located in eastern Hungary. Archaeological findings there signaled a shift from foraging to farming.
Our Voices, Our Stories
Listen to Native artists answer the question: Why is it important for us to tell our stories?
Outsiders Inside | China Toolkit
Analyze the concept of “outsiders,” or ethnic minorities, in Chinese history through artifacts and connect the concept to present experiences.
Plants of the World Exhibition Guide
Observe intricate plant models to determine the functions of their unique structures.
Plate Motion Past and Present | Dinosaur Toolkit
Analyze and interpret data about the structures of Earth’s crust and the fossil record.
Pollination Unit | Early Elementary Science Partnership
Interact with various models to explore the structures of plants and animals related to the process of pollination.
Pre-K Weather Unit | Early Elementary Science Partnership
Observe and record weather to build a common understanding of observable weather conditions in the fall in Chicago. Then make recommendations about how SUE should prepare to play outside.
Prolific Pigment | Science Hub at Home
Here's a recipe for your own blueberry "paint." Use it to study and color a blue morpho butterfly.
Protecting Earth's Ecosystem | Exploring the Field Guide
Analyze methods used to address environmental issues and design strategies to protect local ecosystems.
Pterosaurs and Tape Measures
Investigate the acutal sizes of these famous flying reptiles who lived side by side with dinosaurs.
Pump it Up | Biomechanics Toolkit
Learn how the giraffe’s super-pump of a heart delivers blood seven feet up to the brain.
Rapid Inventory: Home Edition | Science Hub at Home
The Field Museum's Rapid Inventory helps conserve and protect the planet. Learn how to conduct your own rapid inventory at home.
Read, Watch, Listen, Visit: Student Resource List | China Toolkit
Explore more ways to learn about China with your students.
Relationships in Ecosystems | Exploring the Field Guide
Investigate an ecosystem by observing the individual organisms as part of a larger structure—a food web.
Rise of Dinosaurs | Dinosaur Toolkit
Analyze data from a mock fossil dig to determine the differences and similarities between multiple fossil dig sites.
Rock Clocks Primer | Dinosaur Toolkit
Discover how scientists determine the age of rocks and fossils and use those processes to develop a timeline of Earth's history.
Senses Design Challenge | Biomechanics Toolkit
Use animal senses as inspiration to design a way for humans to use their senses differently or use a new sense.
Societies in the Ancient Americas | Exploring the Field Guide
Observe six types of societies that developed in the Americas in response to specific environmental conditions.
Specimen Observation Guide
Encourage close examination of a single specimen—a collected example of a particular species or type—using observations and inferences.
Specimen Spotlight: Indigo Bunting | Science Hub at Home
Meet the Indigo Bunting bird.
Specimen Spotlight: Japanese Giant Salamander | Science Hub at Home
Meet the Japanese giant salamander.
Specimen Spotlight: Peregrine Falcons | Science Hub at Home
Meet Chicago's peregrine falcons and learn how our collections helps the population thrive.
Specimen Spotlight: Purple Coneflower | Science Hub at Home
Examine the Purple Coneflower to learn why native plants are important to any ecosystem.
Spot the Animal | Science Hub at Home
Can you find the camouflaged animal? Inspect how reptiles and amphibians hide in their environment.
Structure and Function | China Toolkit
Analyze early Chinese objects to understand how an object is designed or structured is related to its function.
Structure Function Unit | Early Elementary Science Partnership
Design a shoe appropriate for the icy, wet, and cold conditions of Antarctica using different types of bird feet as inspiration.
SUE's World | Dinosaur Toolkit
Use fossils as clues to rebuild a North American landscape from the past and imagine the world where SUE the T. rex lived.
Survival of the Birds | Exploring the Field Guide
Infer whether a bird can survive in a specific environment by observing physical features such as beak, feathers, legs, and feet.
Testing the Scholars | China Toolkit
Explore the classical Chinese civil service exam system, compare it to current exam systems, and develop a sense of what it means to be qualified for a role.
The Birds and the Trees
How do all birds fit on the avian tree of life?
The Brain Scoop: The Taxonomy of Candy
Scientists use a system called taxonomy to group and categorize living things. What happens when you try to apply taxonomy to candy?
The Brain Scoop: Tully Monster Mystery Solved!
Learn how researchers discovered the Tully Monster, long believed to be an invertebrate (similar to worms), is actually a vertebrate and more closely related to fish.
The Field Revealed: Tully Monster
Discover the Tully Monster, the state fossil of Illinois.
The Great Bear Hunt, narrated by Karen Ann Hoffman
Storyteller Karen Ann Hoffman, Oneida Nation of Wisconsin, tells the story of the Great Bear Hunt as she knows the tradition.
The Night Sky Unit | Early Elementary Science Partnership
Use night sky patterns found in folktales from around the world to explore observable patterns of the moon and stars.
Thermoregulation Design Challenge | Biomechanics Toolkit
Use animal thermoregulation as inspiration to design an eco-friendly dwelling that stays warm in the winter and/or cool in the summer.
Today's Dinosaurs | Dinosaur Toolkit
Explore evidence in the physical features of living animals and dinosaur fossils to learn what living animal is most closely related to dinosaurs.
What are Fossils Primer | Dinosaur Toolkit
Explore how fossils form and discover how scientists know where to find them.
What Do Animals Eat? | Exploring the Field Guide
Investigate the relationship between an animal and its environment by identifying possible food sources in each habitat.
What Does Blue Mean to You? | Science Hub at Home
Discuss what the color blue means to you and compare your answers with other museum visitors.
What do you Hear? | PlayLab at Home
Find a listening spot to hear the world around you and make a sound map.
Wheel of Function | Science Hub at Home
Learn how animals evolved to display the color blue. Then print your own game wheel to play with others!
Who Lives Here? | Science Hub at Home
Try to match each unique home to the animal that made them. Can you find any animal homes in your neighborhood?
Who were Dinosaurs? Primer | Dinosaur Toolkit
Uncover the features that all dinosaurs share, and determine whether a mystery species is a dinosaur.
Why is it Important for Us to Tell Our Stories? - Brian Vallo
Listen to and watch collaborator artist Brian Vallo respond to the question: Why must we tell our own stories?
Why is it Important for Us to Tell Our Stories? - Debra Yepa-Peppan
Listen to Debra answer the question: Why is it important for us to tell our stories?
Why is it Important for us to Tell Our Stories? - Kelly Church
Listen to and watch artist Kelly Church respond to the question: Why must we tell our own stories?
Why is it Important for Us to Tell Our Stories? - Lorene Sisquoc
Listen to and watch artist Lorene Sisquoc respond to the question: Why must we tell our own stories?
Why is it so Important for Us to Tell Our Stories? - Karen Ann Hoffman
Listen to Karen answer the question: Why is it important for us to tell our stories?
Why Must We Tell Our Own Stories? - Ronnie Preston
Listen to and watch collaborator Ronnie Preston respond to the question: Why must we tell our own stories?
WhyReef
Dive into a virtual coral reef to discover marine life and connections between these sea creatures and what they eat.
Acknowledgments
The Griffin Dinosaur Toolkit is part of the Griffin Dinosaur Experience, made possible by generous support from Kenneth C. Griffin.
School learning experiences are supported by ITW.
