From UMaine

ORONO – University of Maine museums and planetarium have a rich library of online resources available to support remote K–12 instruction during the pandemic. 

The Page Farm and Home Museum offers Virtual Field Trip Experiences, via Zoom, to school groups, homeschool groups, and college classes. Groups can take an introductory tour, select a virtual visit topic, or request a program tailored to specific curricular needs by calling the museum at 207.581.4100. Online resources and a Whatz-It? challenge are also available to supplement remote learning for students of all ages. 

The Versant Power Astronomy Center offers a wide array of Virtual Astronomy Experiences to support online exploration of the universe for schoolchildren of every age. Maine’s Wondrous Night Sky, Planet Parade, Mysterious Moon and Me, and Voyage Through the Universe are a few of the lessons available — all are supplemented with age-appropriate resources from NASA, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, and the Astronomical Society of the Pacific. Universe Explorers of Maine, an international online astronomy club, uses robotic telescopes and gamified learning quests to facilitate space exploration and participation in citizen science. Limited funding is available to support class participation in the explorers club. 

The Hudson Museum’s Adventures in Anthropology supports virtual exploration of cultures and traditions featured in the museum’s World Cultures Gallery. This new interactive program introduces students to the field of anthropology using a guided research approach. The museum’s YouTube channel features virtual tours of three Hudson Museum galleries, along with more than two dozen videos of Wabanaki artist interviews, demonstrations of traditional art forms and storytelling. These videos support the teaching of Wabanaki history and culture in Maine’s public and private elementary and high schools. 

The Zillman Art Museum similarly shares educational resources tailored to K–12 learning on YouTube. “Studio Sessions” is a series of virtual, hands-on lessons designed to engage children in creative arts while at home during the pandemic. Lessons range from papier-mache techniques, to making modeling clay, to creating a cubist collage in the style of Pablo Picasso. Virtual tours of previous exhibitions at the Zillman Art Museum are also available on the museum’s YouTube channel.

The University of Maine, founded in Orono in 1865, is the state’s land grant, sea grant and space grant university. It is located on Marsh Island in the homeland of the Penobscot Nation. As Maine’s flagship public university, UMaine has a statewide mission of teaching, research and economic development, and community service.

UMaine is the state’s only public research university and among the most comprehensive higher education institutions in the Northeast. It attracts students from all 50 states and more than 75 countries. UMaine currently enrolls 11,741 undergraduate and graduate students who have opportunities to participate in groundbreaking research with world-class scholars.

UMaine offers more than 100 degree programs through which students can earn master’s, doctoral or professional science master’s degrees, as well as graduate certificates. The university promotes environmental stewardship, with substantial efforts campuswide to conserve energy, recycle and adhere to green building standards in new construction. For more information about UMaine, visit umaine.edu.