Resources | Natural History Museum of Los Angeles
"You have the objects and greater resources...we are smaller and have greater connection to our communities."
— Cynthia Campoy Brophy, The HeArt Project
What's New?
Interplay: Inspiring Wonder, Discovery, and Learning Through Interdisciplinary Museum Community Partnerships
Learn about the origins of the Roundtable program and explore case studies of community partnerships in this new 124-page Museum publication.
Hard copies of Interplay are now available from the Museum Store, or download PDF of full publication here. (3.5MB)
Ideas for Learning
Explore K-12 project ideas created by Roundtable education and community collaborations. Discover project-based lessons and activities that promote interdisciplinary learning through science, language arts, history, and the visual and performing arts.
Project Spotlight
Let photos tell the story!
Browse the photo galleries of past and present Roundtable projects.
Claiming Our Space
STUCK 2
How Do I Observe My World?
Our L.A. Basin: A World of Wonder
Backyards & Front Porches
How Is Identity Influenced By Nature?
Photography by Don Farber
Student Voices
"I love the Natural History Museum because it taught me that I don't have to be scared of bugs, and it showed how bugs are cool in many different ways."
—Lesly, 4th grade student
Cienega Elementary School,
an NHM Education & Arts Roundtable partner school
Did You Know?
The Roundtable is a national award-winning education program!
In winning AAM’s 2009 EdCom Award, the Roundtable is recognized by the American Association of Museums as providing exemplary creativity and innovation in museum education programming.
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Resources, Ideas, and Inspiration!
Learn more about the educational resources available in your community. Here are links to organizations, education and community arts programs, readings, and activities that support education through interdisciplinary learning, collaborations, and partnerships.
Museum Educational Resources
Teachable Moments: A Guide For Your Field Trip
Try these simple grade-specific activities during your next school visit.
Expanding Experiences
For in-depth approaches to activities before, during and after your visit, download these lessons built around grade-specific essential questions.
School Visits
Learn about how to schedule a Museum school visit here.
Members Loan Service
Allows Museum members and educators to borrow museum-quality science specimens, historical objects and models, cultural artifacts and thematic Teaching Trunks.
Mobile Education (for LAUSD schools only)
The mobile education programs are unique classrooms, situated in modified tractor-trailers that simulate science research environments. These mobile classrooms are FREE to LAUSD schools.
Resources for Teaching
Basics of Project-Based Learning
Review the basics of project-based learning here at Houghton Mifflin's Project-based Learning Space.
Los Angeles Public Library
Find all of your reference needs here at the website of the Los Angeles Public Libraries.
Teaching for Understanding
A quick guide to writing enduring understandings and essential questions.
Trash for Teaching
Trash for Teaching collects clean and safe cast-off materials from manufacturing processes (that would otherwise become trash) and repurposes them as educational resources for teachers.
What Is an Essential Question?
Explore the use of "essential questions" in the classroom and teaching through big ideas that provoke deep thought, discussions, and sustained inquiry.
Why Teach with Project Learning?: Providing Students With a Well-Rounded Classroom Experience
This Edutopia article explains how project learning helps students apply what they learn to real-life experiences and provides an all-around enriching education.
Education Resources
Project Zero, Harvard Graduate School of Education
Project Zero's mission is to understand and enhance learning, thinking, and creativity in the arts, as well as humanistic and scientific disciplines, at the individual and institutional levels.
Chicago Arts Partnerships in Education
CAPE's partnerships serve as a living laboratory for a community of artists and teachers dedicated to infusing arts throughout the curriculum, and for a community of researchers dedicated to understanding how teaching through the arts improves student achievement.
Community Resources
Audubon Center at Debs Park
The Center, located in the third largest park in Los Angeles, is an environmental education and conservation center for the communities of Northeast Los Angeles and the region.
C.I.C.L.E.
A nonprofit organization based in Los Angeles working to promote the bicycle as a viable, healthy, and sustainable transportation choice.
FarmLab
FarmLab is a short-term think tank, art production studio, and cultural performance venue that explores land use issues related to sustainability, livability, and health.
Friends of the L.A. River
FoLAR protects and restores the natural and historic heritage of the Los Angeles River through inclusive planning, education and stewardship.
Watts House Project
WHP is an artist-driven urban revitalization initiative, centered around the landmark Watts Towers in South Los Angeles.
Additional Resources
Exposition Park, Museums, and Attractions
Visit Exposition Park attractions and additional museums, including the California Science Center and the California African American Museum.
National Science Foundation
The NSF is a federal agency supporting the fields of science and engineering.