Grades 6-8
Activity
Early Explorers & Mistaken Identities
Setting sail without a map wasn't the only concern facing European explorers. Their heads had also been filled with tales of monsters lurking in the oceans' depths.
Activity
Investigate Mysterious Creatures
The elusive giant squid was first described 500 years ago by Scandinavian sailors. Investigate what we've learned--and what still remains unknown--about this mysterious deep-ocean creature.
Interactive
What's This?
Can you tell the difference between an Emmy award and an Olympic medal? Test your knowledge of gold-plated objects. Then find out more about gold!
Activity
Using Solar Energy
After having students conduct a simple solar energy experiment, challenge them to build a better water heater with this classroom competition.
Reference List
Spitzer Hall of Human Origins Booklist for Kids
Explore your ancestral past and the 22nd-century possibilities of DNA research with this collection of kid-friendly titles selected for the Hall of Human Origins.
Reference List
Spitzer Hall of Human Origins Glossary
What are evolutionary trees? How do hominids differ from primates? And why is it important that humans are capable of symbolic thought? Find out with this guide from "DNA" to "variation."
Interactive
What's This?
Can you tell the difference between a giraffe's bones and those from a mammoth? Test your knowledge of fossils.
Activity
Layers of Time
How do your fossil-sorting skills stack up? Put them to the test with this kid-friendly online puzzle.
Interactive
What's This?
Can you tell, just by looking at it, if a pygmy loris is a rodent, a primate, or a raccoon's relative? Put your knowledge of Vietnam's animals to the test.
Interactive
What's this?
Have you ever seen a mermaid wearing a cowboy hat? Or an animal other than a unicorn with a long, spiraled tusk? Put your knowledge of mythic creatures to the test.