TOP PICKS | 11 TOOLS
Best Museum Apps and Websites for Students
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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.
Grades: K–12
Price: Free
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.
Grades: K–12
Price: Free
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.
Grades: K–12
Price: Free
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.
Grades: 3–12
Price: Free
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.
Grades: 4–12
Price: Free
Smithsonian Learning Lab
Discover, create, remix, and share Smithsonian resources
Bottom line: This thoughtfully crafted, open-ended curation and creation tool has a place in most classrooms.
Grades: 4–12
Price: Free
Digital Public Library of America
Impressive online collection of historic and cultural artifacts
Bottom line: This epic database of history and culture is a labor of love that all students can benefit from.
Grades: 5–12
Price: Free
Google Arts & Culture
Excellent curation and an unmatched art collection invites exploration
Bottom line: A one-stop shop for a vast amount of compellingly curated and contextualized art, but it's lacking educator supports.
Grades: 6–12
Price: Free
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.
Grades: 6–12
National WWII Museum
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.
Grades: 7–12
Price: Free