A visit to a museum is a wonderful learning opportunity. Unfortunately, we don’t all have local museums, and in-person field trips still fall into the “it’s complicated” category. To bridge the gap, we worked with our friends at the Henry Ford Museum of American Innovation to explore their incredible digital collection and create this virtual museum scavenger hunt. We think your students are going to love it!
How do I use the virtual museum scavenger hunt?
Simply download the worksheet, print, and copy as many as you need. We recommend having students work in pairs, and you’ll need access to computers, laptops, or tablets. Direct your students to the Henry Ford’s Digital Collections. There are seven categories:
- Agriculture and the Environment
- Communications and Information Technology
- Design and Making
- Mobility
- Social Transformation
- America’s Industrial Revolution
- Henry Ford
We’ve selected an artifact from each of the seven categories. Students will need to scroll through the collection to find the artifact and answer a question about it. (Don’t worry—we’ve got you covered with an answer key.) Encourage them to click around when they see something that interests them!
How can I extend the learning?
This scavenger hunt is just the tip of the iceberg when it comes to learning about the innovation process. When students are finished with the scavenger hunt, you can try the following extension activities:
- Find another artifact and write a question for the class to answer.
- Ask students to reflect on what they learned. Possible questions: How do you think each inventor came up with their idea? What problem does each invention solve for people? What characteristics make someone an innovator?
- Explore the particular innovation journey taken by each inventor featured in the scavenger hunt. Think about the habits of innovators and actions of innovation.
