For Educators
Bring the Lewis Latimer Mindset to your classroom.
We are offering several virtual, in-museum, and in-school visit options for grades 3-12.
Education programs are available to be scheduled by email, phone, or online.
Field Trips
Bring our educators to your school or book a field trip to the museum.
Please email education@lewislatimerhouse.org, call 718-961-8585, or book online.
Paper Circuits
Grades 3-12
Lewis Latimer was not only a renaissance man, but an early pioneer of electric engineering. With this workshop, we pay homage to his contributions to electricity. Students will learn about the importance of electricity and the way in which it is transferred by using it as a key principle for innovation and design to create paper circuits.
This program meets the following New York City Social Studies curriculum standards:
3-5 ETS1-1, 3-5 ETS1-3, MS ETS1-1, MS ETS1-3, MS ETS1-4
Lewis Latimer House Tour: Students Light the World
Grades 3-12
Lewis Latimer paid a lot of attention to the world around him, trying to understand what he could do to make the world a better place and how he could ensure that every home could enjoy the new opportunities that came with the light bulb. In this field trip experience, students will tour the new permanent exhibition and will uncover the stories of Lewis Latimer, his family, and of the local community through an interactive scavenger hunt. Inspired by Latimer’s impact on the development of electric lighting, students will then participate in a hands-on paper circuit activity and design challenge where they will redesign the fixtures that light our streets and public spaces.
This program meets the following New York City Science curriculum standards:
SL.6.4, SL.7.4, SL.8.4, MS-ETS1-1
Resources
Use our educational content in your classroom today!
Lewis Latimer: The Inventor on Kahoot!
Made in Partnership with the Museum of Science, Boston
Latimer’s Story: From Chelsea to Flushing
Meet Lewis Latimer and discover his history as a Black inventor in 1800s America. From growing up in Chelsea, Massachusetts to his home in Flushing, New York, Latimer has an engaging story and history.
Made for grades 3-5.
All About Patents
What is a patent? Discover how inventors share their creations and are recognized for making something new. Learn the rules you need to follow to get a patent and dream up your own new invention.
Made for grades 3-5.
History of Light & Electricity
Explore a brief history of humanity's relationship to light, electricity, and the spirit of invention. From fire to modern day light bulbs, how we light our world has come a long way in just a few hundred years.
Made for grades 3-5.
Lewis Latimer’s Tools for Inventing
Lewis Latimer didn't create his inventions out of thin air; he used tools to assist him! Discover what tools are needed to be a draftsman and see what we still use today!
Made for grades 3-5.