The University of Nebraska State Museum has expanded its educational programming to offer free science and natural history learning opportunities for families social distancing at home.

New offerings include hands-on activities, virtual field trips, digital learning sessions and virtual planetarium shows every week. The general public can access the activities and videos for free on the museum’s website.

The activities follow a weekly schedule. On Mondays, the education team shares a new hands-on activity geared toward children and families. The activities require minimal or no supplies to complete. On Tuesdays through April, the public can register for a virtual field trip at 10 a.m., noon or 2 p.m. CST. On Wednesdays, Mueller Planetarium releases a virtual planetarium show discussing a variety of topics related to astronomy, such as the phases of the moon, current constellations visible in the night sky and the science of satellites. On Fridays, the museum offers natural history-themed video learning sessions on Facebook and the museum website. These sessions feature NU State Museum collection researchers and cover a variety of topics, such as fossils and world cultures.

“Kids and adults can engage in science, technology, engineering and math learning in many different settings and ways,” said Emily Osberg-Brown, education supervisor at the museum. “During this unprecedented time, our museum is in a unique position to be able to provide supports to parents to continue STEM learning in their own home through easy projects, virtual field trips and videos with our scientists. STEM is all around us. It’s our job during this time to help make it more accessible.”

The free educational activities are a collaborative effort among the University of Nebraska State Museum’s four locations: Morrill Hall, Research Collections, Ashfall Fossil Beds and Trailside Museum of Natural History. Individuals or families with questions can email elephant@unl.edu.