Smithsonian's History Explorer Resources Related To "Get Creative with Nanoscale Inventions"

Spark!Lab Homepage

Mon, 14 May 2012 12:41:09 GMT

This webiste, from the Lemelson Center’s Spark!Lab, uses fun activities to help kids and families learn about the history and process of invention. Students can play games, conduct science experiments, explore inventors’ notebooks, and even invent! Spark!Lab, the newest hands on space for families and others visiting the National Museum of American History, shows the real story behind an inventor’s work.

Edison Invents

Thu, 14 Jun 2012 15:30:20 GMT

Students will learn more about Thomas Alva Edison's creative genius. His mind gave us electric lights in our home and an entire system that produced and delivered electrical power. He was the first to record sound, and he also started the recording industry. Edison developed the first movie camera and produced the first movies. The website includes a biography of Edison, instructions on how to make a light bulb, and a list of related resources.

American Stories

Tue, 17 Jul 2012 14:31:34 GMT

This online exhibition features approximately 100 objects from the Museum's collections to tell stories from the earliest days of America's colonial history through the 2008 presidential election. Each object is used as the starting point for a larger story about American history. The exhibition includes brief labels, large images, and an area for people to nominate objects from their own stories that would fill a gap in the exhibition.

The objects in the exhibition address a variety of themes from American history, including politics, popular culture, art, military history, and home life. They help tell the stories of famous Americans (including Benjamin Franklin, Abraham Lincoln, and Apollo Anton Ohno) and anonymous everyday children, men, and women.