Blogs

Exhibitricks by Paul Orselli  (http://blog.orselli.net/)

Ikea Hacker (http://ikeahacker.blogspot.com/)

Passionately Curious by Sebastian Martin (http://apps.exploratorium.edu/blogs/sebastianm/)

Museum 2.0 by Nina Simon (http://museumtwo.blogspot.com/)

The Big Picture (http://www.boston.com/bigpicture/) News stories and current events, as told through photographs

Exhibit and Program Resources

List of free exhibit resources from Paul Orselli Workshop, frequently updated: http://www.orselli.net/free.html

Library of Congress (http://www.loc.gov/index.html) Thematic collections, ‘my loc’ function allows you to build personal collections of artwork, audio and video clips, historical documents and photographs, and other resources.

ArtsEdge, from the Kennedy Center (http://artsedge.kennedy-center.org/) Lesson plans, multimedia resources, arts quotes, and national art education standards.  Amazing, deep site.

ArtsConnectEd (http://www.artsconnected.org/) A searchable database of artwork from Minneapolis Institute of Arts and Walker Art Center, which allows you to build collections and slideshows.

The Exploratorium (http://www.exploratorium.edu/) Thematic resources on a wide range of everyday topics, from sports to cooking to clothing and more.  Online games, DIY experiments, and links to further information.

PBS TeacherSource (http://www.pbs.org/teachers/) Broken down by age level and subject area, including lesson plans (often adaptable for programs), discussion areas, and professional development.

Encyclopedia Smithsonian (http://www.si.edu/Encyclopedia_SI/default.htm) Links to articles, museum exhibits, objects, and resources in the Smithsonian Institution collections.

Thinkfinity (http://www.thinkfinity.org) A ‘metacollector’ this search engine collects from other collections by subject or keyword, in science, art, history, etc.  Easy to use, with connections to state curriculum standards, etc.

Harvard Natural Sciences Lecture Demonstrations (http://sciencedemonstrations.fas.harvard.edu) Write-ups, building plans, videos, and references.

Cambridge University “The Naked Scientists” Kitchen Science Experiments (www.thenakedscientists.com/html/content/kitchenscience)

MAKE Magazine (www.makezine.com) DIY kits, blogs, and resources

The New Trier Connections Project (http://org.newtrier.k12.il.us/academics/math/Connections/connections.htm) A compilation of high-school interdisciplinary projects in art, math, and science which result in mini-exhibits.  Nicely done, most contain exhibit building directions and further information.  A great example of interdisciplinary learning in upper-level classrooms.

Utah Education Network’s Themepark (http://www.uen.org/themepark/) A thematically-based interdisciplinary content aggregator, this resource has links organized by “Places to Go,” “People to See,” “Things to Do,” “Teacher Resources,” and “Bibliography.”  Extensive and a really interesting organizational structure.

Art and Cultural Resources

ECHO Space (http://www.echospace.org/) Lesson plans and cultural resources from the six partners in ECHO (Education through Cultural and Historical Organizations).  Native cultures and cultural exchange between New England, Alaska, Hawaii, and Mississippi.

ArtLex Art Dictionary (http://www.artlex.com/) Just like it says: a great resource for definitions of more art and art historical terms than you knew existed.

Open Culture (http://www.openculture.com/) A little bit of everything, including free foreign language lessons!

Museum of Modern Art (MoMA)’s Tips and Tools for Educators (http://www.moma.org/learn/moma_learning/tools_tips) Lots of power points, handouts, and background information for teaching modern and contemporary art, with interdisciplinary (especially literary and design) activities

“Real Stuff” Resources

EXCL – Extras for Creative Learning (recycled goods) www.exclrecycles.org

McMaster-Carr – building parts, great selection, next day delivery www.mcmaster.com

You Do It Electronics Center, Needham MA —  www.youdoitelectronics.com

Financial Resources

Grantproposal.com (http://www.grantproposal.com/) “free resources for both advanced grantwriting consultants and inexperienced nonprofit staff”