howtosmile blog

"Libraries are our new community tech labs," says Keith Braafladt, Director of Learning Technologies at the Science Museum of Minnesota.

Educator Anne Richardson of the Exploratorium uses SMILE to compile grade- and subject-specific lists of activities for teachers who bring their students on school field trips to the museum.

SMILE’s August newsletter was all about sharks and hands-on ocean literacy activities

"Simply put," says Billy Spitzer of the New England Aquarium, "ocean literacy is understanding how we affect the oceans, and how the oceans affect us." Spitzer is the aquarium's Vice President for Planning, Programs & Exhibits.

1. Scientists can determine the age of a shark by counting the rings that form on its vertebra, much as you can count the rings on a tree to tell its age. Sharks typically live from 20 to 30 years.

I still remember when my sixth grade science teacher took us outside, gave us each a block of wood and a magnifying glass, and showed us how to harness the sun's energy to burn our zodiac sign into wood.

Educator Cheryl McCallum talks about one of her favorite SMILE outdoor activities, and how to make it work even if you don't have "an outdoor space teeming with living things.”

These days, I work in a museum. But before that I was an outdoor educator, taking 5th graders on hikes through the East Texas Piney Woods and canoe trips on Lake Livingston.

Check out this cool low-tech animation showing users how to search the SMILE catalog. Asia Ward of the Science Museum of Minnesota created this video, and she definitely wins the prize for most creative use of the SMILE hand logo!