This fall, educators are working harder than ever to meet the needs and provide critical support to their learners. Whether using traditional in-person classrooms, virtual or hybrid-learning models, teachers are in need of tools, guidance, and resources.

A great place to start is at a museum.

According to the American Alliance of Museums, every year, U.S. museums provide more than 18 million instructional hours of educational programing, and by tailoring these programs to meet state, local and national standards, museums can help teach state, local or core curriculum in a range of subjects including math, science, history, art, and civics.

As structures of place-based learning, museums have the ability engage students in learning experiences that are relevant, engaging, and inspiring. And although the 2020-2021 school year looks completely different than any year prior, museums are still offering the same immersive experiences from a distance. But where to start your exploration?

Well, we’ve looked to organizations west of the Rockies, including Alaska, and Hawaii, and the western Canadian provinces of Alberta and British Columbia to gather the following list of online resources, tools, and programs that will be of use to you as an educator this school year.

Of course, you can find great educational programming from just about any museum across the Western U.S., but these are just a few programs we came across. This list is updated regularly.

Museum Educational Programs

• Search virtual programming from more than 240 children’s museums across the world with The Association of Children’s Museums’ (ACM) Children’s Museums at Home online database. Or browse ACM’s updated list of virtual children’s museums activities.

• The Arts & Culture Coalition of Pierce County has a listing of virtual content and free experiences, including museum collections and downloadable educational materials.

• Sort through the creatively diverse educational resources and programs from Portland Art Museum.

• Get involved with Arizona Science Center’s CONNECT Educate initiative. CONNECT Educate provides Arizona standards-aligned science content and professional development programs customized to the unique needs of your district or school in the form of webinars, lesson plans, outreach, and coaching.

• Museum Educators of Puget Sound (MEPS) provides support for distance learning and online engagement through the Museum From Home With MEPS resource list.

• Teach Oregon history through standards-aligned lessons and programs from the Oregon Historical Society (OHS). Order a Traveling Trunk or utilize one of their Digital History Projects.

• Bring museum objects to you class, take a virtual field trip, and explore other homeschooler rescources with the University of Alaska Museum of the North.

• Get creative with lesson plans from San Diego’s The New Children’s Museum.

• Here's a list of 30+ SoCal museums that offer online K-12 educational resources from WeLikeLA.

• San Francisco’s California Academy of Sciences has created an online place for all educators alike. Your students can meet Academy educators online from your home or classroom via interactive livestreams, participate in DIY activities, or get a closer look at stingrays, penguins, and coral reefs through live webcams. More info here.

• Let Colorado history come to you. History Colorado shares a wide range of digital learning resources including field trips, online exhibits, and documentaries.

• The American Alliance of Museums has a Distance Learning Repository including more than 900 submissions. They are randomized regularly so that different entries are highlighted.

• Canada’s Royal Alberta Museum is now offering virtual school programming for those who teach Pre-K and up. From tours with Q&A’s to Virtual Human Libraries, students will get to explore exciting subjects in a wide selection of museum fields.

• The University of Oregon's Museum of Natural and Cultural History offers a variety of virtual science and culture learning adventures for grades K-8, from the Little Wonders preschool program to the bilingual Explore from Home / Explora desde casa modules. Educators can also explore the museum's ever-growing collection of Teaching Resources for grades K-12.

• Explore the teaching tools and art guides for educators provided by Phoenix Art Museum.

• The Missoula Art Museum in Missoula, Montana recently launched Museum as Megaphone, a free remote learning platform for teachers, parents, and cargivers. Museum as Megaphone includes courses for all ages based on contemporary art exhibitions.

• The California Museum provides Educational Tools and Resources for K-12 Teachers. The Museum even provides a free 1-year membership to all currently employed California teachers at public and private schools.

• Feed your student’s curiosity with a vast collection of learning experiences from the Bay Area’s Exploratorium. Or check out their Tools for Teaching and Learning page for fun educational media, and classroom activities.

• The Job Carr Cabin Museum offers learn at home resources, including activity pages and interdisciplinary lesson plans for elementary students about the Oregon Trail and Tacoma history.

• Learn with the Oregon Museum of Science & Industry or sign up for a live virtual program and let the science come to you!

• Discover the vast wonders of space from home with Aerospace Museum of California.

• Teach your students about the art, culture, science and history of Alaska and the North, with the Anchorage Museum. The Museum delivers resources and publications for in-classroom teaching and at-home digital learning.

Additional Resources

• How to Foster Creativity, No Matter Where Learning Takes Place – Ed Tech
• How Can School Leaders Support Engaging Remote Education? – Ed Tech
• The Learning Collaborative Platform – The Learning Collaborative with Explorable Places
• My Primary School is at the Museum…During the Pandemic ­– AAM: Center for the Future of Museums Blog
• Find your next education program with ArtsEdConnect – ArtsEdConnect.org
• Inspiring Creativity - For Ages 55 and Better – Aroha Philanthropies
• Schooling Resources for Parents, Caregivers, + Educators – Western Museums Association

We hope these resources and programs taken from the West will offer support to you and the educators in your local community. Please pass along!

If you have a resource you’d like to add to this list, please contact us in the messages below, or email us at communications@westmuse.org. Thanks!

This list is updated regularly.

Written by Jessica Noyes, Communications Coordinator, WMA