Distance Learning

Distance learning programs bring your students to the museum without ever having to leave their seats! Through the use of two-way video, your class will join museum educators as we explore Virginia’s natural heritage and uncover its rich biological and geological history. Together, with the use of videoconferencing and interactive activities, we will spark imagination, enhance curricula, and support Virginia and national educational standards. Distance learning programs can be developed and adjusted to meet your needs. Education staff will work with you to establish your videoconferencing connection in advance. Let us know how we can connect with you!

Download the VMNH Distance Learning Guide here (PDF)!

Distance Learning Programs

All programs are tailored to specific standards of learning based on your grade level. Contact us for more information at 276-634-4187 or email discover@vmnh.virginia.gov.

Dawn of the Dinosaurs
Did you know Virginia is the only locality in the world where complete insect fossils from 225 million years ago have been found? Join educators as we examine fossils from this Era and compare them to their modern counterparts. Through the use of technology and modern and fossilized specimens, students will feel like they’ve made the discoveries themselves!

Unsolved Mysteries
Why would the fossils of marine animals and land mammals from long ago all be deposited in the same place? With VMNH educators, students will view fossils from an active dig site along the Fall Line north of Richmond. We will look at a re-creation of a bone bed and hypothesize what may have happened along this ancient shoreline to cause the deaths of such a wide variety of animals. By examining fossil evidence and understanding how Earth’s surface changes over time, students will explore scientific explanation of this location 14 million years ago.

Walking Among Giants
Travel back in time 14,000 years to the last Ice Age — a time when muskox, mastodons, mammoths, and giant ground sloths lived in Virginia. By examining casts of bones, teeth, footprints, and real fossils we will explore how the behavioral and physical adaptations of these animals helped them to survive in the not too distant climatic past.

Trash to Treasure
Don’t miss out on this unique opportunity for students to explore archaeology. By examining artifacts such as pottery pieces, animal bones, and projectile points, students will be able to make conclusions about American Indian culture both before and after European contact. Led by VMNH education staff, students will better understand how trash of past civilizations can be a valuable tool for archaeologists.

The Earth as We Know it
Join educators for an exciting investigation of the forces that shape the world. With models and demonstrations, students will make connections between how the energy trapped inside the earth has moved continents and has shaped the earth’s surface over time.

The Circle of Life
By investigating the relationships among organisms and looking at examples of producers, consumers, and decomposers, students will understand the transfer of energy that occurs among all living things
and the fundamental processes it fuels.

Classification: 101
Amidst specimens from the African Savanna, students will follow educators on a journey through our spectacular African mammal collection. Step into the shoes of a scientist by using observable characteristics as a basis for species classification. By examining the physical characteristics of different mammals,
students will understand more about species identification, variation, and adaptations.

Registration

If you are interested in taking advantage of the museum's Distance Learning Programming, please email the museum at discover@vmnh.virginia.gov or call (276) 634-4187.

Fees

One Program
$90 ($180 with VMNH staff onsite)

Two Programs
$135 ($270 with VMNH staff onsite)

Three Programs
$170 ($340 with VMNH staff onsite)

Four Programs
$210 ($400 with VMNH staff onsite)