Tween Tribune | Sign Up Form

Lesson Plans

Smithsonian Resources

Autumn Views
Whenever autumn arrives, whether in a blaze of brilliant leaves or with subtle changes in the life cycles of flora and fauna, the season holds a special beauty. Explore this Smithsonian site to see how natural-science illustrations combine art and science in the close observation of nature and artwork from the world and across time can capture the mood, color and light of the fall seasons.

Autumn Splendor: Why Do Leaves Change Color in the Fall?
Autumn is a beautiful and fun season for all ages. We can observe a lot of changes during this season—including the color of leaves. To understand why leaves change color, read this article from the Smithsonian Science Education Center.

Watch Leaves Change Color in a Matter of Seconds
Read this Smithsonian magazine article and watch the accompanying time-lapse video to see how over 6,000 leaf photos reveals the biology behind fall foliage.

Leaves, Diamonds, Birds & Roses: Design Patterns in Everyday Life
An important part of design is learning to look closely at the objects around us. In this activity from the Cooper-Hewitt, Smithsonian Design Museum, students will have opportunities to observe partners and symbols across disciplines. They will brainstorm ideas, collect and analyze data and construct graphs and graphic organizers.

The Science of Color
In this lesson from the Cooper-Hewitt, Smithsonian Design Museum, elementary students will use the scientific method to explore how to make different colors with paint. They will also problem solve ways to darken and lighten colors without using black and white paint.

Monday Morning Ready

This interactive map shows fall foliage predictions across the U.S.

Software makes cyberbullies think twice

Rare children’s books digitized by the Library of Congress

Sign language translating devices are cool. But are they useful?

This map lets you plug in your address to see how it’s changed over the past 750 million years