Bring the museum home
Want to get your kids excited about science, nature, and history? Parents, educators, and caregivers: here are activities, games, printables, and more for you to do with kids at home or in the backyard. Spot camouflaged reptiles and learn how they evolved to hide. Use your sense of hearing to figure out which kinds of birds are nearby. Look for the suggested grade levels below each activity.
Think like a scientist at home
Get inspired by the science and play featured in Grainger Science Hub and the Crown Family PlayLab. Science Hub at Home—hands-on, at-home activities—is great for kids in grades 3–8. PlayLab at Home—activities that engage young kids in using their senses—is designed for kids in grades PK–2.
Wheel 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!
Specimen Spotlight: Peregrine Falcons | Science Hub at Home
Meet Chicago's peregrine falcons and learn how our collections helps the population thrive.Bird Calls and Songs | PlayLab at Home
Listen to different songs or calls made by local Illinois birds.What do you Hear? | PlayLab at Home
Find a listening spot to hear the world around you and make a sound map.
Mission to the Mesozoic
Team up with a scientist to explore Earth millions of years ago. Complete each quest in this online game by identifying different animals and plants and snapping their photos.
Learning beyond the classroom
Our resources can support curricula for remote learning and homeschool instruction. Designed for parents teaching kids at home, the lessons are multimodal for diverse learning styles. Supplementary media like videos, games, and 3d models bring lessons to life. We also provide printables and activities that support screen-free learning without a computer.
Activities and lessons to do at home
Showing 58 resources
3D Model: Cryolophosaurus Skull | Dinosaur Toolkit
Use this 3D model to see how scientists reconstruct animals like Cryolophosaurus from the fossil record.
3D Model: Glacialisaurus Foot | Dinosaur Toolkit
Learn how the first giant dinosaurs like Glacialisaurus moved by exploring this 3D model.
3D 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
Animal 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.
Ask 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.
At Home Collections | Science Hub at Home
Create your own museum collection at home.
Basket 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.
Basket Making Discussion & Demo: Lorene Sisquoc and Kelly Church
Listen to and watch Lorene Sisquoc and Kelly Church discuss basket weaving and oral traditions.
Being 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.
BIOlympics Game | Biomechanics Toolkit
Jump into BIOlympics events to see how animals achieve amazing feats. Use that knowledge to choose competitors for different events.
Bird Calls and Songs | PlayLab at Home
Listen to different songs or calls made by local Illinois birds.
Birding 101 | Science Hub at Home
Discover the birds of Chicago with these birding techniques.
Chef Jessica Pamonicutt Discusses Cooking and Fry Bread
Listen to and watch Chef Jessica discuss her career as a chef and fry bread.
Dome Strength | Biomechanics Toolkit
Discover how much force a seemingly brittle object like an egg can withstand when it’s dome-shaped.
Forces 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.
Furiously 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.
Giraffe Heart Dissection | Biomechanics Toolkit
Go behind the scenes in our mammals wet lab to watch the dissection of a giraffe heart.
In Your Backyard | Science Hub at Home
Track down reptiles and amphibians by exploring your own natural spaces.
Island Evolution
Discover why islands contain so many unique species.
Jason 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.
Karen 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.
Karen Ann Hoffman on Claiming Space
Listen to Karen talk about the importance and impact of Native work taking up space.
Life All Over | Science Hub at Home
Even cities are filled with nature. What will you find when you take a closer look?
Lizard 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.
Locomotion Design Challenge | Biomechanics Toolkit
Use animal movement as inspiration to design a new vehicle for traveling via land, water, and air.
Make Your Own Field Guide | Science Hub at Home
Identify the plants and animals that call your ecosystem home.
Make Your Own Field Journal | Science Hub at Home
Document your next adventure with a homemade field journal.
Making Fry Bread with Chef Jessica Pamonicutt
Watch Chef Jessica share how she makes fry bread.
Mammal Phylogeny
Discover how scientists classify the diverse mammals found on Earth.
Mission to the Mesozoic
Find plants and animals across the Triassic, Jurassic, and Cretaceous time periods in this online game.
Monarch Guide | Home FIELD Advantage
Write and draw to observe monarch butterflies.
Native 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.
Our Voices, Our Stories
Listen to Native artists answer the question: Why is it important for us to tell our stories?
Prolific Pigment | Science Hub at Home
Here's a recipe for your own blueberry "paint." Use it to study and color a blue morpho butterfly.
Pterosaurs and Tape Measures
Investigate the acutal sizes of these famous flying reptiles who lived side by side with dinosaurs.
Rapid 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.
Senses 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.
Specimen Spotlight: Indigo Bunting | Science Hub at Home
Meet the Indigo Bunting bird.
Specimen Spotlight: Peregrine Falcons | Science Hub at Home
Meet Chicago's peregrine falcons and learn how our collections helps the population thrive.
Specimen Spotlight: Purple Coneflower | Science Hub at Home
Examine the Purple Coneflower to learn why native plants are important to any ecosystem.
Spot the Animal | Science Hub at Home
Can you find the camouflaged animal? Inspect how reptiles and amphibians hide in their environment.
The Birds and the Trees
How do all birds fit on the avian tree of life?
The 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?
The 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.
The Field Revealed: Tully Monster
Discover the Tully Monster, the state fossil of Illinois.
The 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.
Thermoregulation 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.
Wheel 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!
Who 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?
Why 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?
Why 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?
Why 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?
Why 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?
Why 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?
Why 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?
WhyReef
Dive into a virtual coral reef to discover marine life and connections between these sea creatures and what they eat.
Virtual exhibition
Travel to China and explore 5,000 years of history and culture in the online exhibition for the Cyrus Tang Hall of China. Jump into a scroll painting of a medieval river festival. Search for horses in the landscapes of China’s diverse ecosystems. Or join Monkey King on a journey to get a magic fan.
Nature guides
Get outside and explore the natural wonders local to Chicago and greater Illinois. Kids in grades 6 or higher and adults can use our Field Guides to identify plants, animals, and more.
High school students join in seed collecting at Beaubien Woods Forest Preserve.
© Iza Redlinski
Acknowledgments
Mission to the Mesozoic is part of the Griffin Dinosaur Experience, made possible by generous support from Kenneth C. Griffin.
School learning experiences are supported by ITW.
