Kids and Families
Explore our collection of family-friendly resources, activities, and educational tools designed to make museum learning fun and engaging for children of all ages.
Learning Resources
Showing results 1-106 of 106
3D Model: Cryolophosaurus Skull | Dinosaur Toolkit
Use this 3D model to see how scientists reconstruct animals like Cryolophosaurus from the fossil record.
Interactive or AppGrades PK-123D Model: Glacialisaurus Foot | Dinosaur Toolkit
Learn how the first giant dinosaurs like Glacialisaurus moved by exploring this 3D model.
Interactive or AppGrades PK-123D 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
Interactive or AppGrades PK-12Advantages of Levers | Biomechanics Toolkit
Test basic lever types and explore the trade-off between a force advantage and speed advantage in the animal world.
Lesson PlanGrades 6-8Adventures in the Herbarium: Museums and Medicines
The importance and impact of Field Museum’s African flowering plant specimens are highlighted in two podcasts. These podcasts were written, recorded, and edited by two college interns who worked alongside experts and collections specimens. Museums and Medicines highlights the impact plant specimens have had on human health and why their conservation is so important.
ActivityGrades 3-12Adventures in the Herbarium: Pixels and Petals
The importance and impact of Field Museum’s African flowering plant specimens are highlighted in two podcasts. These podcasts were written, recorded, and edited by two college interns who worked alongside experts and collections specimens. Pixels and Petals highlights the digital imaging process and the impact of herbarium specimens.
Grades PK-12Animal 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.
ActivityGrades 3-8Animal Survival Unit | Early Elementary Science Partnership
Act as consultants to the City of Chicago and assess their relocation plan for urban coyotes.
Lesson PlanGrades PK-5Archaeological Footprint | China Toolkit
Analyze how we learn about history through objects and theorize what gaps can exist in object-based stories.
Lesson PlanGrades 6-12Artifact Observation Guide
Encourage close examination of a single artifact—an object produced by humans—using observations and inferences.
ActivityGrades 3-12Ask 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.
VideoGrades 3-12At Home Collections | Science Hub at Home
Create your own museum collection at home.
ActivityGrades 3-8Basket 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.
VideoGrades PK-12Basket Making Discussion & Demo: Lorene Sisquoc and Kelly Church
Listen to and watch Lorene Sisquoc and Kelly Church discuss basket weaving and oral traditions.
VideoGrades PK-12Being 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.
VideoGrades 3-12Bergmann's Rule | Biomechanics Toolkit
Uncover how an animal’s size affects its ability to regulate temperature.
Lesson PlanGrades 6-8Biodiversity and Ecosystems
Middle school-aged students will investigate the differences between native and invasive plants and demonstrate their learning by creating a model of a native plant garden.
Lesson PlanGrades 6-8BIOlympics Game | Biomechanics Toolkit
Jump into BIOlympics events to see how animals achieve amazing feats. Use that knowledge to choose competitors for different events.
GameGrades 6-8Bird Calls and Songs | PlayLab at Home
Listen to different songs or calls made by local Illinois birds.
ActivityGrades PK-2Birding 101 | Science Hub at Home
Discover the birds of Chicago with these birding techniques.
ActivityGrades 3-8Chef Jessica Pamonicutt Discusses Cooking and Fry Bread
Listen to and watch Chef Jessica discuss her career as a chef and fry bread.
VideoGrades PK-12Dinosaur Family Tree | Dinosaur Toolkit
Examine dinosaur physical traits to identify similarities and differences in their features and construct a system of classification.
Lesson PlanGrades 3-5Diversity of Life | Exploring the Field Guide
Observe animal dioramas to compare and contrast organisms and explore the diversity of life.
ActivityGrades PK-2Dome Strength | Biomechanics Toolkit
Discover how much force a seemingly brittle object like an egg can withstand when it’s dome-shaped.
Lesson PlanGrades 6-8Everything Has a Purpose | Exploring the Field Guide
Examine why plants and birds have certain features to uncover the relationship between structure and function.
ActivityGrades 3-5Evidence in the Unwritten | China Toolkit
Investigate the role of an archaeologist and discover the types of questions that drive their work. Spanish subtitles available.
VideoGrades 6-12Exhibition Investigation Guide
Investigate a museum exhibition using the claim, evidence, reasoning cycle.
ActivityGrades 3-12Exploring 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.
ActivityGrades 9-12Exploring 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.
Lesson PlanGrades 6-12Exploring Objects | China Toolkit
Analyze objects using varied lenses, including anthropology, history, economics, geography, and art history.
Lesson PlanGrades 3-12Forces 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.
Lesson PlanGrades 6-8Furiously 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.
ActivityGrades 3-8Giants 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.
Lesson PlanGrades 6-8Giraffe Heart Dissection | Biomechanics Toolkit
Go behind the scenes in our mammals wet lab to watch the dissection of a giraffe heart.
VideoGrades 6-8Herbarium Sheets | PlayLab at Home
Learn about scientists who study plants and create your own herbarium sheet.
ActivityGrades PK-2Hominid Adaptations | Exploring the Field Guide
Investigate fossil remains of hominids to learn how humans and our relatives evolved over time.
ActivityGrades 6-8Investigating the Qingming Scroll | China Toolkit
Learn about the contradictions depicted in the Qingming Scroll and compare it with present-day representations of idealized societies.
Lesson PlanGrades 6-12In Your Backyard | Science Hub at Home
Track down reptiles and amphibians by exploring your own natural spaces.
ActivityGrades 3-8Island Evolution
Discover why islands contain so many unique species.
VideoGrades 6-12Jason 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.
VideoGrades PK-12Jump Like a Frog | Science Hub at Home
Can you leap like a frog? Investigate how frogs jump then compete in a jumping contest.
ActivityGrades 3-8Karen 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.
VideoGrades PK-12Karen Ann Hoffman on Art
Listen to Karen talk about storytelling and stories.
VideoGrades PK-12Karen Ann Hoffman on Claiming Space
Listen to Karen talk about the importance and impact of Native work taking up space.
VideoGrades PK-12Karen Ann Hoffman on Stories
Listen to Karen talk about storytelling and stories.
VideoGrades PK-12Kindergarten 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.
Lesson PlanGrades PK-2Life All Over | Science Hub at Home
Even cities are filled with nature. What will you find when you take a closer look?
ActivityGrades 3-8Lizard 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.
ActivityGrades 3-8Locomotion Design Challenge | Biomechanics Toolkit
Use animal movement as inspiration to design a new vehicle for traveling via land, water, and air.
Lesson PlanGrades 6-8Make Your Own Field Guide | Science Hub at Home
Identify the plants and animals that call your ecosystem home.
ActivityGrades 3-8Make Your Own Field Journal | Science Hub at Home
Document your next adventure with a homemade field journal.
ActivityGrades 3-8Making Fry Bread with Chef Jessica Pamonicutt
Watch Chef Jessica share how she makes fry bread.
VideoGrades PK-12Mammal Phylogeny
Discover how scientists classify the diverse mammals found on Earth.
VideoGrades 6-12Mapping and Monarchs Unit | Early Elementary Science Partnership
Learn how to analyze and interpret maps by studying monarch butterfly migration.
Lesson PlanGrades PK-2Mission to the Mesozoic
Find plants and animals across the Triassic, Jurassic, and Cretaceous time periods in this online game.
GameGrades 3-8Monarch Guide | Home FIELD Advantage
Write and draw to observe monarch butterflies.
Family-Friendly LessonGrades 3-5Monarchs Legend Story and Coloring Book
Read The Legend of the Parákata or color your own version of the story!
Interactive or AppGrades PK-5Muscle Model | Biomechanics Toolkit
Explore factors affecting muscle strength using simple models.
Lesson PlanGrades 6-8Native 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.
VideoGrades PK-12Native Truths Teacher Reference Guide
Educators encourage critical thinking into current issues and modern cultures of today’s Native communities with these helpful resources.
Lesson PlanGrades PK-12Our Voices, Our Stories
Listen to Native artists answer the question: Why is it important for us to tell our stories?
VideoGrades PK-12Plant Biomimicry
Middle school-aged students will demonstrate their understanding of biomimicry by designing a solution to a human problem using plant-inspired ideas.
Lesson PlanGrades 6-8Plant Structure and Function | Hands-on Version
Elementary-aged students will learn about the functions of plant parts and use models to gain an understanding of plant anatomy. This knowledge will be applied towards understanding the differences between plants that make seeds and plants that do not. This lesson includes hands-on stations that highlight plant anatomy and their functions.
Lesson PlanGrades 3-5Plant Structure and Function | ThingLink Digital Version
Elementary-aged students will learn about the functions of plant parts and use models to gain an understanding of plant anatomy. This knowledge will be applied towards understanding the differences between plants who make seeds and plants who do not. This lesson includes a digital activity that highlights plant specimens from the Field Museum.
Lesson PlanGrades 3-5Plate Motion Past and Present | Dinosaur Toolkit
Analyze and interpret data about the structures of Earth’s crust and the fossil record.
Lesson PlanGrades 6-8Pollination Unit | Early Elementary Science Partnership
Interact with various models to explore the structures of plants and animals related to the process of pollination.
Lesson PlanGrades PK-2Pre-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.
Lesson PlanGrades PK-2Prolific Pigment | Science Hub at Home
Here's a recipe for your own blueberry "paint." Use it to study and color a blue morpho butterfly.
ActivityGrades 3-8Protecting Earth's Ecosystem | Exploring the Field Guide
Analyze methods used to address environmental issues and design strategies to protect local ecosystems.
ActivityGrades 3-5Pterosaurs and Tape Measures
Investigate the acutal sizes of these famous flying reptiles who lived side by side with dinosaurs.
ActivityGrades 3-8Pump it Up | Biomechanics Toolkit
Learn how the giraffe’s super-pump of a heart delivers blood seven feet up to the brain.
VideoGrades 6-8Rapid 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.
ActivityGrades 3-8Relationships in Ecosystems | Exploring the Field Guide
Investigate an ecosystem by observing the individual organisms as part of a larger structure—a food web.
ActivityGrades 6-8Rise of Dinosaurs | Dinosaur Toolkit
Analyze data from a mock fossil dig to determine the differences and similarities between multiple fossil dig sites.
Lesson PlanGrades 3-5Rock 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.
Lesson PlanGrades 3-8Senses 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.
Lesson PlanGrades 6-8Specimen Observation Guide
Encourage close examination of a single specimen—a collected example of a particular species or type—using observations and inferences.
ActivityGrades 3-12Specimen Spotlight: Indigo Bunting | Science Hub at Home
Meet the Indigo Bunting bird.
ActivityGrades 3-8Specimen Spotlight: Japanese Giant Salamander | Science Hub at Home
Meet the Japanese giant salamander.
ActivityGrades 3-5Specimen Spotlight: Peregrine Falcons | Science Hub at Home
Meet Chicago's peregrine falcons and learn how our collections helps the population thrive.
ActivityGrades 3-8Specimen Spotlight: Purple Coneflower | Science Hub at Home
Examine the Purple Coneflower to learn why native plants are important to any ecosystem.
ActivityGrades 3-8Spot the Animal | Science Hub at Home
Can you find the camouflaged animal? Inspect how reptiles and amphibians hide in their environment.
ActivityGrades 3-8Structure 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.
Lesson PlanGrades PK-2SUE'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.
Lesson PlanGrades 3-5Survival 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.
ActivityGrades 9-12The Birds and the Trees
How do all birds fit on the avian tree of life?
VideoGrades 6-12The 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?
VideoGrades 6-12The 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.
VideoGrades 3-12The Field Revealed: Tully Monster
Discover the Tully Monster, the state fossil of Illinois.
VideoGrades 3-12The 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.
VideoGrades PK-12The 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.
Lesson PlanGrades PK-2Thermoregulation 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.
Lesson PlanGrades 6-8Today'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.
Lesson PlanGrades 6-8What are Fossils Primer | Dinosaur Toolkit
Explore how fossils form and discover how scientists know where to find them.
Lesson PlanGrades 3-8What Do Animals Eat? | Exploring the Field Guide
Investigate the relationship between an animal and its environment by identifying possible food sources in each habitat.
ActivityGrades PK-2What do you Hear? | PlayLab at Home
Find a listening spot to hear the world around you and make a sound map.
ActivityGrades PK-2Wheel 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!
ActivityGrades 3-8Who 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?
ActivityGrades 3-8Who were Dinosaurs? Primer | Dinosaur Toolkit
Uncover the features that all dinosaurs share, and determine whether a mystery species is a dinosaur.
Lesson PlanGrades 3-8Why 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?
VideoGrades PK-12Why 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?
VideoGrades PK-12Why 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?
VideoGrades PK-12Why 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?
VideoGrades PK-12Why 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?
VideoGrades PK-12Why 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?
VideoGrades PK-12WhyReef
Dive into a virtual coral reef to discover marine life and connections between these sea creatures and what they eat.
GameGrades 3-8