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Best Museum Apps and Websites for Students
Top Picks
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Asian Art Museum
Inventive lessons and activities integrate Asian history, art, and more
Bottom line: It offers an in-depth look at Asia’s influence on art and history and provides lots of creative tools for educators.
Lawrence Hall of Science: 24/7 Science
Outdated site still useful for science games and investigations
Bottom line: Many of these interesting and highly educational activities, though a bit disorganized, still challenge and engage kids in important ways.
California Academy of Sciences
Expert research and diverse, rich lessons inspire future scientists
Bottom line: A perfect companion to (or substitute for) the Academy, this site delivers highly interactive resources and research with a lot of depth.
National Museum of African American History and Culture
Powerful stories and media centralize African-American history
Bottom line: While there aren't ready-to-go curricular materials, this modern, well-curated, and well-contextualized digital collection is sure to inspire compelling lessons.
Smithsonian's History Explorer
Lessons, activities, artifacts, artfully presented by the Smithsonian
Bottom line: A fantastic resource for kids and teachers alike, it has everything you need to fall in love with history.
Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History
Virtual tour lets kids explore interactions of humans and our world
Bottom line: A great gateway to explore evidence and artifacts about the natural world; be ready to build your own lesson plans if you don't plan to visit in real life.
MetKids
Whimsical, kid-friendly intro to the wide world of art
Bottom line: A wonderful, endlessly detailed way to get kids engaged in the world of art.
9/11 Museum Audio Guide
Thoughtful, expansive tours personalize sobering museum experience
Bottom line: An excellent digital extension of a thoughtfully designed museum.
Smithsonian Education Students
Kid-friendly access to museum resources on wide range of topics
Bottom line: Even given some limitations, the site is filled with ways for kids to explore meaning in historical artifacts, scientific data, and art.
Smithsonian Learning Lab
Discover, create, remix, and share first-rate museum artifacts
Bottom line: This thoughtfully crafted, open-ended curation and creation tool has a place in most classrooms.
National Archives
Access U.S. history with treasure trove of docs, genealogy, and other resources
Bottom line: NARA's website wasn't designed for kids, but they can definitely use it to research and learn about history, genealogy, and the U.S. population and government.
Digital Public Library of America
Organized digital library features piles of useful primary resources
Bottom line: DPLA is at the top of the list of high-grade, online primary source collections if teachers make effective use of what's on offer.
Exploratorium
Science experiments and activities abound in this comprehensive resource
Bottom line: A host of mostly at-home activities are available if kids stick to the Explore tab of online resources.
Google Arts & Culture
Excellent curation and an unmatched art collection invite exploration
Bottom line: A one-stop shop for a vast amount of compellingly curated and contextualized art, but it's lacking educator supports.
Newseum
Media museum's site offers timely resources mixing history and civics
Bottom line: Filled with primary sources, daily content, and lesson plans, this is a valuable site teaching news and media literacy, especially the value of a free and independent press.
United States Holocaust Memorial Museum
Extensive resource collection supports teaching about the Holocaust
Bottom line: As a valuable resource for anyone teaching or learning about the Holocaust, time to explore and plan is necessary in order to make the materials effective.
The National WWII Museum - New Orleans
High-quality resources and activities offer an in-depth study
Bottom line: Materials and activities support a thorough study of World War II, making this a valuable resource for both teachers and students.
Smithsonian X3D
Touch, explore, and interact with amazing 3D artifacts
Bottom line: A unique, highly credible resource to add to your classroom repertoire -- if a topic matches your course and kids.
