BALTO: A HISTORY OF HUMANS, HUSKIES, AND HEALTH IN ALASKA | LEVEL: K–12th
Did you know that the real Balto is at the Cleveland Museum of Natural History? Bring the amazing achievements of mushers and their sled dogs into your classroom as we present the story of Balto and the heroic dogs and mushers of the 1925 Alaskan Serum Run, and compare their experience to the Iditarod of today. Discuss diphtheria and find out why the outbreak in Nome, Alaska is so famous. Investigate equipment used to enable humans and huskies to survive in harsh Arctic conditions. Hear how the entire city of Cleveland rallied to the aid of Balto and his teammates after they were abandoned and mistreated. It’s a ‘tail’ for all ages!
Download the Teacher Guide to Balto
6–8 HLTH – 2.8.2, 2.8.6, 2.8.10
YOU ARE WHAT YOU EAT: HOW NUTRITION AFFECTS HEALTH | LEVEL: 1st–6th
Get a taste of the "Choose My Plate" dietary guidelines while learning to create healthy meals based on the different food groups. View real human organ specimens that are affected by dietary choices! Grades 4-6 programs include how to identify and interpret information on nutrition labels.
Download the Teacher Guide to You Are What You Eat
6 HLTH – 1.8.1, 3.8.2, 5.8.4, 5.8.6, 6.8.1
SCIENCE OF SEEKING SNACKS: ANALYZE YOUR SNACKING BEHAVIOR WITH MUSEUM MANTIS RESEARCH | LEVEL: 2nd–7th
The smell of fresh-baked cookies. The look of bright red strawberries. What lures YOU to seek a snack? Join this real-life investigation of how praying mantis hunting behavior gives us insights into our own eating habits.
Compare insect and human senses with a series of hands-on experiments, and see amazing scanning microscope images of insects’ sensory organs—taken in our own entomology lab. Examine insect specimens used at the Ritzmann Lab with Case Western Reserve University—and hear their brain activity! This program will take you beyond the basic 5 senses with the help of 6-legged scientists! This program is supported by a grant from the National Science Foundation.
Download the Teacher Guide to Science of Seeking Snacks
6 LS – Cellular to Multicellular
7 LS – Cycles of Matter and Flow of Energy
MIGHTY MELANIN: THE SCIENCE OF SKIN COLOR | LEVEL: 2nd–7th
Museum research dives into the very beginnings of the human species in Africa, around 200,000 years ago. Exploring variations of human skin color and other genetic variations helps us to track original migratory routes of our ancient ancestors. Investigate the concept of VARIATION in other animals, and celebrate variation within our own species.
We guarantee that our real specimens, museum models, and classroom activities will have your students getting “under your skin” to learn more about human variation!
Download the Teacher Guide to Mighty Melanin
6 LS – Cellurlar to Multicellular
7 LS – Cycles of matter and Flow of Energy
7 GEOG – Human Systems
ROCKS & MINERALS: IDENTIFICATION, CLASSIFICATION, AND ROCK CYCLE INTRODUCTION | LEVEL: 3rd–8th
Are you losing your marbles when it comes to getting sedimentary students interested in the rocks beneath their feet? Don’t ‘sulphur’ alone. We’ll help you dig up an avalanche of appreciation for the original ‘hard’ sciences. This overview of geology and mineralogy basics will whet your students’ ‘apatite’ for Earth Sciences as they take an up-close look at real specimens from our collections. Is studying rocks fun? Of ‘quartz’ it is!
Download the Teacher Guide to Rocks & Minerals
6 ESS – Rocks, Minerals, and Soil
8 ESS – Physical Earth
BODYWORKS: INTRODUCTION TO HUMAN INTERNAL ANATOMY | LEVEL: 4th–6th
What does a real heart look like? And how does it team up with our brain, muscles, bones, and lungs? This program uses preserved specimens and anatomical models to teach students about the organization of the human body. Learn the structures and functions of several major organ systems and see how they interact to keep the whole human organism alive.
Download the Teacher Guide to Bodyworks
6 LS – Cellular to Multicellular
6 HLTH – 1.8.1
GROWING UP & LIKING IT: PONDERING PUBERTY LEVEL: 5th–6th
Learn the science behind the changing adolescent body and find out what to expect on the road to adulthood. Students will meet a professional health educator and discuss physical and chemical changes that occur in the body during puberty. With the aid of fun demonstrations, models and specimens, we will discuss human reproductive anatomy, menstruation, nocturnal emissions and other issues. NOTE: This lesson is designed for boys and girls to experience together, but if you prefer single-gender groups please specify this when scheduling your program.
Download the Teacher Guide to Growing Up & Liking It
6 HLTH – 1.8.2, 2.8.3
HUMAN EVOLUTION: FOLLOWING LUCY’S FOOTSTEPS | LEVEL: 6th–10th
Investigate the most current research on human evolution with specialists in the field. Trace the development of modern humans using information from fossil hominids as well as clues from living primates. Research-quality casts of specimens from the Hamann-Todd Osteological Collection, one of the largest research collections of modern human skeletons in the world, are used to illustrate unique human physiological traits.
Download the Teacher Guide to Human Evolution
6 LS – Cellular to Multicellular
8 LS – Species and Reproduction
DRUGS 301: THE GOOD, THE BAD, & THE UGLY | LEVEL: 7th–12th
Learn the science behind chemical addiction and find out what physical consequences arise from the use of different categories of drugs. What are current drug trends and emerging health concerns around them? Actual medical specimens will impress upon students the powerful effect drugs have on our lives.
Download the Teacher Guide to Drugs 301
7–8 HLTH – 1.8.1, 1.8.8, 1.8.9, 2.8.3, 2.8.7, 2.8.9, 3.8.2, 3.8.4, 5.8.1, 7.8.1
HUES OF HUMANS: SKIN COLOR SCIENCE | LEVEL: 8th–12th
Humans primarily use our sense of sight to recognize individuals, and we place much importance on visual cues. Skin color is both an adaptation to life under the sun and a critical way we identify ourselves. Explore Museum research and how studying human evolution better equips us to understand our general mammalian physiology. The many hues of humans reveal unique health issues our species faced as we began living in diverse habitats away from Africa more than 100,000 years ago.
Download the Teacher Guide to Hues of Humans
8 LS – Species and Reproduction
8 HIST – Colonization to Independence
8 HIST – Civil War and Reconstruction
8 GEOG – Human Systems
BACK TO SCHOOL PROGRAMS HOME