Tour the Kirtland Hall of Prehistoric Life

Museum educator Ashley Hall takes us on a dino-filled tour of the Museum! Worksheet available for grades PreK-1.

Material Type: Activity/Lab, Lecture

Amazing Educational Resources

Amazing Educational Resources is a nonprofit program that was initially created to facilitate free sharing of resources among teachers. The platform has since grown to an all-inclusive hub for educational materials. Amazing Educational Resources facilitates access to and sharing of free high -quality resources among teachers, parents and students. Motivated by the passion to develop an accessible educational resources sharing hub, Nick Hoover, a professional with 14 years teaching experience, founded Amazing Educational Resources Facebook page. The platform has since grown from a Facebook page to a public website harboring over 1,000 resources and an online calendar of events with webinars, lessons, and classes. Amazing Educational Resources believes there is power in sharing and value in the opinion of teachers and parents. We offer access to quality educational materials, facilitate live discussions about resources in the Facebook group, and hope to make the process of finding high quality resources a little bit easier. We are focused on simplifying the process of accessing high quality resources for both teachers, parents, and students. We are geared towards providing a reliable platform for teachers and parents to coordinate their efforts in providing quality information and materials to guarantee the best education. A platform that is accessible and affordable to students of all backgrounds.

Material Type: Activity/Lab, Lecture Notes, Lesson Plan, Student Guide

Authors: Nick Hoover, Sonya Pryor-Jones

All About Meeko

It's Meeko's time to shine! This week's Wildlife Wednesdays feature put the spotlight on one of your favorite animal ambassadors: Meeko, the albino raccoon! Chief Wildlife Officer Harvey Webster and Animal Programs Coordinator Nicole Episcopo gave us a behind-the-scenes look at enrichment and training for our bushy-tailed friend, and shared fun facts about thie Ohio-native species.

Material Type: Lecture

Amphibians

Roberta Muell, Assistant Curator of Vertabrate Zoology at the Cleveland Museum of Natural History, talks about the facinating facts and importance of amphibians.

Material Type: Lecture

Ancient Plants Preserved: Coal Balls

This Scientist Saturday, join host Lee Hall and Dr. Denise Su, the Museum’s Chief Academic Engagement Officer, Gertrude Haskell Britton Endowed Chair of Education, and Curator of Paleobotany & Paleoecology, in a fascinating specimen spotlight. Delve into the scientific study of ancient plants and learn about specimens found in calcified lumps known as “coal balls.” You’ll discover how these lumps—consisting mostly of plant matter preserved in calcium carbonate—allow us to understand fossil plants on a cellular level. Worksheets available for grades 7-8 and 9-12.

Material Type: Activity/Lab, Lecture

Astronomy Night Skies

Join Director of Astronomy Jason Davis for a tour of the May night skies. Worksheet available for grades 3-4.

Material Type: Activity/Lab, Lecture

Behind the Scenes in the Animal Room

Programming Coordinator Nicole Episcopo gives us a behind-the-scenes look at the Cleveland Museum of Natural History’s Animal Room. She’ll highlight everything that goes into caring for our beloved animal ambassadors, as well as how our animal experts prepare them for use in classes and programs. Worksheets available for grades PreK-K and 1-2.

Material Type: Activity/Lab, Lecture

Birds & Migration

The Cleveland Museum of Natural History’s ornithology collection of approximately 35,000 research specimens covers more than a century of ornithological exploration around the world, with an emphasis on species native to Ohio. Each specimen is meticulously prepared for use in scientific analysis. In this specimen spotlight, learn about all the information we can glean from just one specimen with host Lee Hall and William A. and Nancy R. Klamm Endowed Chair and Curator of Ornithology Dr. Andy Jones. Worksheets available for grades 7-8 and 9-12.

Material Type: Activity/Lab, Lecture

Botany at the Museum

Director of Natural Areas and Curator of Botany Dr. Jim Bissell explains why it's important for us to care for native plants in Northeast Ohio and gives us a look at the collections of the Botany Department. Worksheet available for grade 5.

Material Type: Activity/Lab, Lecture

Celebrating Life: Rare Ceremonialism Unearthed in Northern Ohio

Curator & John Otis Hower Chair of Archaeology Dr. Brian Redmond discusses evidence of rare ceremonial activities at an archaeological site in Northern Ohio dated around 300 B.C. Learn more about the first peoples of Ohio with Dr. Redmond’s special encore presentation after the video debuts. Worksheets available for grades 4-5 and 7-9.

Material Type: Activity/Lab, Lecture

Dragonflies!

Museum Naturalist Judy Semroc brings some dragonfly and damselfly nymphs into our videoconference studio to take a close look at these amazing aerial hunters. Worksheet available for grades 3-4 and 5-6.

Material Type: Activity/Lab, Lecture

Dung Beetles

Some people may think dung beetles are gross. After all, they live in and eat animal waste! But Dr. Nicole Gunter, the Museum’s Associate Curator of Invertebrate Zoology, finds them utterly fascinating. In fact, they’re her favorite animal. “Why?” you might ask. Get the scoop in this video. Worksheets available for grades 7-8 and 9-12.

Material Type: Activity/Lab, Lecture

Gray Fox

Two gray foxes joined the Museum’s menagerie of live native Ohio animals in the reimagined Ralph Perkins II Wildlife Center & Woods Garden—Presented by KeyBank, which opened Labor Day weekend 2016. Gray foxes are one of the only canines that can climb trees—a fact that inspired the young foxes’ names. Buckeye and Ash were born in captivity and hand-raised in Minnesota. In the years since the state-of-the-art wildlife center opened, the pair have bonded with their caregivers and become familiar with their homes. Worksheet available for grades 1-3.

Material Type: Activity/Lab, Lecture

How to Make an Australopithecus (Lucy!)

Museum craftsmen Carl and David explain how they create casts of Australopithecus afarensis fossils to display in the Museum. Worksheet available for grades 3-4.

Material Type: Activity/Lab, Lecture

Human Health: What You Can Learn from Teeth

In this week’s edition of Scientist Saturdays, we’ll chatter about those hunks of enamel we use to chow down on our food. That’s right—we’re talking teeth! Last week, you learned about the clues hidden in ancient teeth. Now, join the Museum’s Curator of Human Health & Evolutionary Medicine, Dr. Nicole Burt, as she shares what you can learn from your own pearly whites. Worksheets available for grades 7-8 and 9-12.

Material Type: Activity/Lab, Lecture

Meet Trisha Patton

After a decade of dormancy, the Cultural Anthropology Department at the Cleveland Museum of Natural History has come back to life. Our new Collections Manager, Trisha Patton, has spent the last year digging deep in the Museum’s vast repository of cultural artifacts from around the world. Meet Ms. Patton in this edition of Museum Mondays.

Material Type: Lecture

Meet an Archaeologist

Celebrate October, Ohio’s Archaeology Month, as Dr. Brian Redmond shares artifacts found by the Museum’s field research teams.

Material Type: Lecture

Minerals: Garnet

Dr. David Saja talks through the geology of Ohio and shares details about some of his work with the mineral garnet. Worksheets available for grades 7-8 and 9-12.

Material Type: Activity/Lab, Lecture

Mudpuppies & Other Amphibians

Did you know sea lampreys aren’t native to Lake Erie? As invasive predators, they’re actually damaging Great Lakes fish and amphibian populations, including mudpuppies. Join host Lee Hall and Curator of Vertebrate Zoology Dr. Tim Matson for this specimen spotlight. Hear about Dr. Matson's long-term ecological research study examining the relationship between sea lampreys and mudpuppies. Worksheets available for grades 7-8 and 9-12.

Material Type: Activity/Lab, Lecture

New Species: Discovery of Vespamantoida

Dr. Gavin Svenson, the Cleveland Museum of Natural History’s Director of Research & Collections and Curator of Invertebrate Zoology, discovered a new species of praying mantis on an insect survey expedition in the Amazon Rainforest. The mantis, named Vespamantoida wherleyi, is brightly colored and mimics wasps to ward off predators—a combination that has never been seen before. The discovery and analysis have had widespread implications for the Mantoididae family. As part of our Scientist Saturdays series, learn even more about this newly discovered mantis from the expert himself—Dr. Svenson! Worksheets available for grades 7-8 and 9-12.

Material Type: Activity/Lab, Lecture