Are you a parent, caregiver, or teacher working harder than ever to provide critical support and meet the needs of your learners?

Whether using traditional in-person classrooms, virtual or hybrid-learning models, we've got the perfect museum-focused tools, guidance, and resources to help you succeed.

Educational Programming from Museums of the Western US

Museum Industry Educational Resources

Schooling Resources for Parents + Caregivers + Educators

How to Talk + Teach About COVID + Racism + Politics 

EDUCATIONAL PROGRAMMING FROM MUSEUMS OF THE WESTERN US

WMA has 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. These resources were originally shared in the WestMuse Blog.

• 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.

• 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.

• 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.

• 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. 

MUSEUM INDUSTRY EDUCATIONAL RESOURCES

• Distance Learning Repository – American Alliance of Museums

• The Ultimate Guide to Virtual Museum Resources, E-Learning, and Online Collections – Museum Computer Network

• Museum From Home Resources – Museum Educators of Puget Sound (MEPS)

• A Kid’s Guide to Magical Adventures on Mount Olympus – The Getty

• 30+ SoCal museums that offer online K-12 educational resources – WeLikeLA

• Museums are combining childcare and education that's more affordable than private tutoring – Salon

• Museum Resources for Parents and Caregivers – Wilkening Consulting

• Smithsonian Open Access – Smithsonian

• Arts Resources for Families Stuck at Home – Chicago Arts Partnerships in Education

• 13 Virtual Ways to "Edutain" Kids About History and Preservation – National Trust for Historic Preservation 

• DIY Museum-Inspired Crafts Using Toilet Paper Rolls – Western Museums Association

SCHOOLING RESOURCES FOR PARENTS + CAREGIVERS + EDUCATORS

• 80 Tips for Remote Learning From Seasoned Educators – NY Times

• 'I'm Only One Human Being': Parents Brace for a Go-It-Alone School Year – NY Times

• School Decision-Making Tool for Parents, Caregivers, and Guardians – CDC

• Back to school amid COVID: What if I’m not ready? – Coverage

• The Best Homeschooling Resources Online – Parents.com

• How To Help Shy And Introverted Kids With Remote Learning – Huff Post

• COVID-19 Planning Considerations: Guidance for School Re-entry – American Academy of Pediatrics

• Return to School During COVID-19 – HealthyChildren.org

• COVID-19's Harm to Learning Is Inevitable. How Schools Can Start to Address It – Education Week

• We Must Invest in Teachers to Prevent COVID-19 from Exacerbating the Racial Educational Divide – Time

• State Education Policy Actions and Resources – Education Commission of the States

• COVID-19 Resources for Educators and Learners – Arts Ed

• COVID-19 Resources – Arts Education Partnership 

• COVID-19 Resources for Educators – WestEd

HOW TO TALK + TEACH ABOUT COVID + RACISM + POLITICS

• 5 Lessons Learned From Quarantine We Can Teach Our Children – Playground Professionals

• The Upside of Quarantine: 4 Fascinating Lessons to Teach Your Kids – Jessica Larson

• 11 real-life skills you can teach your kids at home during a quarantine, according to experts – Business Insider

• Family Conflict: How to Navigate Political Conversations – Online Counseling Programs

• Teaching Tolerance (Classroom Resources & Professional Development) – Teaching Tolerance

• Talking about Racism, Racial Equity and Racial Healing with Friends, Family, Colleagues and Neighbors – Heal Our Communities

• Learn How to Talk & Teach About Race & Ethnicity – Teaching Tolerance

• Let's Talk! A Teaching Tolerance Guide – Tolerance.org

• Your Age-by-Age Guide to Talking About Race – Parents.org

• Talking to Young Children About Race and Racism – PBS Kids

• Creating the Space to Talk About Race in Your School – National Education Association (NEA)

• Talking About Race and Privilege: Lesson Plan for Middle and High School Students – National Association of School Psychologists

Do you have educational resources you'd like to add?

Please share with us at communications@westmuse.org.

These resources are subject to change and will be updated as new information becomes available.

We're all in this together. #StayHealthy #StaySafe #TogetherButSafelyApart