For
Educators
Inspiration and discovery don’t just happen with an on-site visit. The GRPM offers professional learning opportunities and resources that allow educators to incorporate objects, activities and other high-quality content into their instruction wherever they are!
Table of Contents
Teacher Club
Stay up to date with what’s happening at the GRPM and what’s being offered for school groups specifically.
Joining Teacher Club is free, and helps ensure you receive advance information on upcoming events and programs for students! All Michigan pre-service, in-service and informal educators are invited to join.
Benefits:
- Invitations to educator events and exhibit previews
- Free general admission for field trip planning (for the teacher only)
- Free subscription to monthly Teacher Club e-newsletters
- 10% discount in the Museum Curiosity Shop
Once you are a club member you can redeem your benefits by showing your ID at the front desk of the Museum.
About the Public Museum School
In 2015, the Grand Rapids Public Museum School was one of just ten schools across the country awarded the prestigious XQ Super School Award for educational innovation. Founded in its unique approach to community partnerships—including Grand Valley State University, Kendall College of Art and Design, and the Grand Rapids Public Museum—we shape student learning through the synthesis of place-based education, design thinking, and museum mindset.
Our approach to learning is designed to inspire passionate curiosity, nurture creative problem-solving skills, and cultivate critical thinking and innovation.
Professional Development & Workshops
The Grand Rapids Public Museum School and founding partners will welcome secondary educators for a free 3-day workshop on August 6-8, 2024. Go beyond the classroom to develop a museum mindset, get familiar with place-based learning, and implement design thinking in your local community.
Applications for the 2024 Summer Workshop are now open and space is limited! Applications are due May 31, and applicants will be notified of acceptance on June 6.
Discovery Kit Loan Program
Discovery Kits Themes
- Anishinabe Culture: Learn how Anishinabek have lived alongside the natural world through a variety of artifacts that tell the story of the first people of this place.
- Early Hominin Stone Tools: Think like an archaeologist and examine realistic reproductions of the stone tools created by early humans.
- Foodways: Food is a universal language. Discover how cultures around the world work in the kitchen.
- Fossils: Step back on the geological timeline to explore a variety of plant and animal fossils.
- Hats: What people wear on their heads can tell us an interesting story; learn the history behind headwear from across the globe.
- Holiday Traditions: Winter is the season for celebrating Christmas, Hanukkah, Kwanzaa, and more. Learn how trees, drums, and shoes play a part in holiday traditions around the world.
- Music: Music is one of the first elements of culture we think of; investigate a variety of musical instruments from around the world.
- Newcomers: If you were moving to a new country and had only one suitcase to pack, what would you bring with you? Take a glimpse into the immigrant experience with this discovery kit.
- Numismatics: Yen, Roman coins, credit cards… Explore currency from around the globe.
- Rocks & Minerals: Think like a geologist and explore a collection of rocks and minerals, many of which are found here in Michigan. Learn about Earth’s minerals, geological processes, and how rocks are formed!
- Space Exploration: Space, the final frontier! Discover the story of Roger B. Chaffee, a hometown hero, and get an up-close look at space fragments.
- Zoology: Investigate specimens native to West Michigan and from around the globe. Discover where these species live, what they eat, and what makes them special!
Reservation Information
- Rental length: 1 week
- Cost: $25 per kit (fee may be waived for schools depending on circumstances)
- Pick up and drop off: Kits can be picked up any time after 12:00 p.m. Monday of your confirmed week. Kits must be dropped off no later than 5:00 p.m. the following Sunday.
For questions about this program or how to best leverage the kits, please contact group scheduling at groups@grpm.org or 616.929.1734.
Lessons and Resources
Downloadable Resources and Activity Guides
The GRPM has created several types of free educational resources. Download or share this content with students to incorporate Museum exhibits and artifacts into your instruction.
Virtual Discovery Kits
These activity sheets provide educational backgrounds of a variety of science, history and cultural topics and allow students to ask questions, be creative and reflect on their learning.
Virtual Scavenger Hunts for Digital Collections
Use these scavenger hunts to explore the vast resource of the Digital Collections website which contains a quarter of a million records. Students will practice literacy, make connections, find patterns and use other deep thinking skills.
Teacher Created Resources
The GRPM supports educational efforts in West Michigan and beyond through the use of its Collections and community stories. These materials were developed in collaboration with teachers in the community.
Find out more or create your own by visiting GRPMCollection.org and clicking on Teacher Galleries.
Exhibit Tour Videos
Simulate a virtual visit to the GRPM’s memorable core exhibits and archives.
Anishinabek: The People of this Place
Newcomers: The People of this Place
Streets of Old Grand
Rapids
West Michigan
Habitats