Smithsonian Museums Web Quest

The Smithsonian Institution is the world's largest museum complex and research organization composed of 19 museums, 9 research centers, and the National Zoo. Many of these museums are located on the National Mall in Washington D.C. You will have a chance to visit one or two of these museums. You are going to explore the websites of these museums so you can choose the ones that will most interest you. There is no charge to go into any of these museums, but there are charges for some of the activities.

What can you see at the Smithsonian Museum? Here is just a small selection of things you can see.

Portraits of all the presidents from George Washington to Barack Obama

Portraits, artifacts, memorabilia and video of famous American sports figures

Memorable objects from American life such as

	Dorothy’s ruby slippers from “The Wizard of Oz”
	Muhammad Ali and Joe Louis’ boxing gloves
	A boom box owned by hip hop pioneer Fab 5 Freddy

A miniature doll house that is five stories tall with 23 rooms and contains 1,354 miniature specimens of furniture, linens, toys and other household items

The Hope Diamond: The rare 45.52 carat deep-blue diamond was cut from a stone found in India about 350 years ago and was once part of the French crown jewels. It was also involved in a dramatic theft, and according to some legends might even carry a curse!

The Apollo 11 command module Columbia

The recreation of a railway mail train

IMAX® movies

An exhibit of the giant squid, of the largest invertebrates on Earth—with lengths measuring nearly 60 feet

	The 1903 Wright Flyer, the first successful airplane
	Or these varied objects:

Owney, the Postal Dog 1401 Steam Locomotive

Game Fish sculpture

Serpent Mask from Burkina Faso Oglala Lakota Dolls

Peacock Room Monkeys Grasping for the Moon sculpture

Images from:

"10 Tips for Visiting Smithsonian Museums with Children." Smithsonian Institution. Smithsonian Institution.

22 Apr. 2009 <http://www.si.edu/visit/SmithsonianKidsTips.pdf>.

What can you do at the Smithsonian Museum? Here is a small selection of things you can do at some of the different museums.

	Touch a lunar rock
	Operate a cotton gin
	Peek through a stereoscope
	Experience what it felt like to wear a corset
	Use a press to print a card, and copying a letter the way Jefferson did
	Take a 5 minute ride on one of these four Ride Simulators: Experience the thrill of careening through an action-packed roller-coaster course or racing in futuristic high-speed hovercars. Choose your adventure: Cosmic Race, Bermuda Triangle, Solar Coaster, Grand Prix Raceway, Astro Canyon, or Glacier Run.
	Ride a carousel
	Enter a paper airplane contest: Explore the concept of "stability" by using paper clips to balance a paper airplane and compete against other participants.
	Go on an art scavenger hunt
	Feed a tarantula
	Ride an interactive flight simulator alone or with a friend: Try to become a jet combat "ace" -- in an F-4 Phantom II -- as you pilot the simulator into 360-degree barrel rolls. Choose either pilot or gunner responsibilities since it accommodates one or two riders.
	Ride a space simulator with friends: Choose to ride aboard the Space Shuttle to the International Space Station or experience the thrill of a flight in both vintage and jet-age aircraft. Ride Simulators accommodate up to 8 people per ride.

Assignment

Your task is to visit the websites of the museums in the National Mall area to discover which ones would be of most interest to you. You need to identify specific reasons for your choices. These reasons should include information on specific exhibits of interest. Are there hands-on activities or interactive computers available that you would want to engage in? Is there an IMAX movie showing that you would want to watch? You may also want to explore what kind of items can be found at the different gift shops at each of the museums. Use the following sheet to take notes on the different museums. Museum Notes

Here is a map of the Smithsonian Museums on the National Mall http://www.si.edu/Content/Pdf/Visit/mallmap.pdf

Here is the Smithsonian Home Page http://www.si.edu/

There is a list of links to all of the museums on the right hand side of the page. Be careful to only visit museums that are on located in the National Mall area. Make sure it is visible on the National Mall map and/or listed on the note sheet.

Do you like to engage in hands on activities when you visit a museum? This link will let you explore specific activities that will occur during the week you are visiting.