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Learning resources

Learning resources for topics including culture, natural history, earth and life science.

School girl looking at megafauna display

Australia over time

Learn about our evolving landscape, Australian megafauna and other extinct animals and how we use fossils to relate the animals of the past with those of today.

Megafauna
Fossil sites in Australia
Geological time scale

Feathertail glider

Animal factsheets

Discover the astonishing variety of mammals, birds, reptiles, marine life and more in the Australian Museum collections.

Invertebrates
Vertebrates
Extinct animals

Barbara McGrady Photo acquisition

First Nations

Learn more about this land’s First Nations peoples and cultures.

Collections
Knowledge
Exhibitions

Virtual Tour of Palaeontology

A virtual visit behind the scenes in Palaeontology

Explore some of the amazing galleries in virtual reality or 360 and go behind the scenes to meet some of our experts and learn about fossils, classification and adaptations.

Primary school
Secondary school

Sustainable living

Sustainability at home

Leading a healthier, more sustainable lifestyle and saving money in the process is easy with these helpful factsheets.

Cut down on waste
Worm farming

Virtual autopsy

Virtual autopsy

Follow a human autopsy process from start to finish including an external examination, opening the body, viewing internal organs, removing the organs and weighing them, removing the brain, replacing all organs and closing the body.

Step by step demonstration

Nature Photography for Children Workshop 13 January 2021

Online experiments and activities

Fun and engaging activities and experiments for kids to try at home.

Engaging activities
How to videos

Reed Bee, Hymenoptera

Bugwise

Bugwise brings the world of invertebrates to your students, engaging them in real science in local environments. Find out what insects and spiders you are sharing your backyard with and why they are vitally important to a healthy planet.

Learning factsheets

Light Microscopy - Mark McGrouther

Science of life

Learn about biodiversity, the scientific study of life and organisms, and the story of human evolution.

Stages of Decomposition
The Human story
Virtual Autopsy

Mineral specimen

Earth science

The Mineralogy and Palaeontology collections include rocks, minerals, gemstones and fossils, and reveal how the earth was formed.

Shaping the Earth
Minerals
Fossils

Homo erectus skull

Human evolution

Extending back for five to seven million years to the time when our ancestors took their first two-legged steps on the path toward becoming human.

Discover our past

'Death' Exhibition

Death: the last taboo

Death is a process rather than an event. Learn more about the process and the many natural and human processes that occur after our death.

What happens after death?
Disposing of the dead
Autopsy

Citizen Science Grant Announcement

Water and catchment

Learn about the value of water and how we manage our waterways and catchments.

Water around the world
Water cycle
Managed water cycle

Dinosaurs and their relatives

Discover the Mesozoic era of the dinosaurs! Dinosaurs are classified as a group of reptiles, although some of their features are found in mammals and birds living today.

The Mesozoic era
Dinosaur factsheets
Australian dinosaurs

Andrew Trevor-Jones, citizen scientist for Australasian Fishes

Citizen science

See our citizen science projects and discover how you can get involved and contribute!

DigiVol
FrogID mobile app
Australasian Fishes

Secondary Education 2018

Learning journeys

Make the most of your school excursion with our learning journeys, which include pre-visit stimulus, exhibition activities for when you are at the Museum and post-visit classroom ideas.

Primary school
Secondary school

Science Week 2016

Activities for kids at home

Discover our fun and informative online resources for teaching curious kids about science, nature and culture.

Creative activities
Free mobile Apps

Museum in a Box

For teachers and students

Our education programs and resources spark curiosity, develop scientific understanding and enhance cultural awareness in students of all ages.

Virtual excursions
Educator-led tours
Learning journeys

Learn about habitats

Explore seven different animal and plant habitats: Coasts, Freshwater, Antarctica, Forests, Woodlands, Arid Zone and Urban.

A suburban gully

Urban habitats

Lots of people live in big cities and towns. Many Australian plants and animals have adapted to live with us in our gardens, buildings, parks and harbours. Find out what might live in your backyard.

Forest habitats

Forests are places with tall trees and a thick canopy. In Australia the three main types of forest include dry forests, wet forests and rainforests.

Antarctic Habitat

Antarctic habitats

Many animals live in and visit Antarctica and the islands around it. Antarctic habitats include pack ice, mountains and the surrounding seas.

Coastal habitats

Coasts are places where the land meets the sea.

Arid habitats

Australia is the second driest continent in the world. This does not mean that areas without fresh water do not have plants and animals. In fact, arid zone habitats are full of life. Some arid zone habitats include tall shrubs, heath, grasslands, sandy areas and rocky areas.

Sydney Sandstone Habitat

Woodland habitats

Woodlands are places where the trees are spaced apart with heath and grassland in between. They often have open grassy spaces as well as clumps of trees, rocks and bushes.

Fresh-Water habitat

Freshwater habitats

Freshwater habitats include lakes, rivers, billabongs, wetlands and ponds. Many animals and plants live in or near these habitats. They rely on them to provide food, shelter and a place to breed.

Discover life cycles

A collection of life cycle illustrations and explanations.

Cybister tripunctatus

Diving Beetle life cycle

Diving beetles are insects. They have four stages in their life cycle: egg - larva - pupa - adult. They have a streamlined shape, a pair of thin antennae and three pairs of legs. Their back legs have a thick fringe of swimming hairs.

Dragonfly life cycle - Hemianax sp.

Dragonfly life cycle

Dragonflies are insects. They have three stages in their life cycle: egg - larva - adult. Adult dragonflies have a long and slender abdomen, two pairs of wings and three pairs of legs. They also have very large eyes.

Damselfly life cycle - Austrolestes sp.

Damselfly life cycle

Damselflies are insects. They have three stages in their life cycle: egg - larva - adult. They have a long and slender abdomen, two pairs of wings and three pairs of long legs. They also have very large eyes.

Green and Golden Bell Frog Life cycle - Litoria aurea

Green and Golden Bell Frog Life cycle

Green and Golden Bell Frogs are amphibians. They have four stages in their life cycle: egg - tadpole - metamorph - adult.

Spotted Marsh Frog Life cycle, Limnodynastes tasmaniensis

Spotted Marsh Frog Life cycle

The life cycle of a Spotted Marsh Frog, Limnodynastes tasmaniensis.