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.
“The students embarked on a journey through Lewis Latimer’s life, understanding his family background, his inventions, and his significant societal contributions. The interactive scavenger hunt and hands-on activities, like building circuits and decorating light-up robots, captivated their imaginations. Huge applause to the Lewis Latimer House team for enlightening our young minds and making learning so dynamic and fun.”
- Teacher at PS244Q
Please email education@lewislatimerhouse.org, call 718-961-8585, or book online.
In-School: Students Light the World
Grades 1-12
Lewis Latimer paid close attention to the world around him, seeking ways to improve it and ensure every home and business could enjoy the new opportunities brought by the light bulb. In this interactive experience, students practice their critical thinking skills through a game of I, Spy, making connections between archival objects and present-day objects. Inspired by Latimer's problem-solving approaches, students will then participate in a hands-on paper circuit activity and design challenge scaled for different grade bands.
Virtual: Students Light the World
Grades 1-12
In this interactive virtual field trip experience, students practice their critical thinking skills through a game of I, Spy, making connections between archival objects and present-day objects. Inspired by Latimer's problem-solving approaches, students will then participate in a hands-on paper circuit activity and design challenge scaled for different grade bands.
Getting Here
Materials
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Please note that as part of their field trip experience, students may use LED bulbs and coin batteries for their projects. The coin batteries should last for about three days and can be recycled by a caregiver at local centers that can be found using this link.
In-Museum: Lewis Latimer House Tour - Students Light the World
Grades 1-12
In this interactive in-museum experience, students practice their critical thinking skills and explore the incredible life and legacy of Lewis Latimer through a collaborative scavenger hunt, making connections between archival objects and present-day objects. Inspired by Latimer's problem-solving approaches, students will then participate in a hands-on paper circuit activity and design challenge scaled for different grade bands.
Frequently Asked Questions
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There is a small parking lot directly behind the museum that can fit up to six cars or small vans. Otherwise, school buses are encouraged to drop students off along 137th Street or Leavitt Street.
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In the event that your class arrives early while another field trip is in session, students are welcome to play in the grassy areas on the museum grounds.
Your class is also welcome to visit QPL Mitchell-Linden down the street (31-32 Union St, Flushing, NY 11354) before your scheduled field trip begins. The library can accommodate groups of up to 30 students. Please note that the library requires the supervision of 1 adult for every 15 students.
Food & Lunch
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Classes are welcome to eat lunch following their field trip in the Latimer Lab and will have 30 minutes to do so. Food is not allowed in the museum galleries and must remain in the Latimer Lab.
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The museum does not have a water fountain, but students are welcome to bring water bottles.
Accessibility
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The museum galleries and its public gender-neutral bathroom are ADA accessible.
Resources
Use our educational content in your classroom today!
Lewis Latimer: The Inventor on Kahoot!
Made in Partnership with the Museum of Science, Boston
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.
Latimer’s Story: From Chelsea to Flushing
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.
All About Patents
The Abolitionist Movement
The guide follows the time periods between the early 1800s into the pre-Civil War era through firsthand accounts of the effects of slavery, emancipation, and Reconstruction on an African American family's livelihood and Lewis Latimer's upbringing.
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 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.
Lewis Latimer’s Tools for Inventing
Teacher Guides
The Battle for Electric Lighting
Thomas Edison wasn’t the only inventor to work on the light bulb! This guide explores the fast-paced environment of electrical innovation during the Industrial Revolution using Lewis Latimer’s drawings, patents, and journal entries as a primary sources.