South Kensington for Schools online

Geography teachers and students: now that your lessons have moved online, why not check out RGS' fascinating case studies and articles that link directly to key stages and course content? From the carbon and water cycles to geopolitics and development, they have a resource to help you learn.

Get immersed in the stories behind the RGS' Collections from the comfort of your home.

The coronavirus is an extreme form of the flu which attacks the respiratory system, making the young and the old particularly vulnerable. Aimed at Key Stage 3, 4, 5 pupils.

Venice is one of the best known and most visited historic cities in the world. The 60,000 daily visitors far outweigh its inhabitants, creating demographic and environmental challenges. Can Venice be sustained as a living city for its residents? Suitable for Key Stage 4 and 5 students.

The RGS has created ten curated datasets, on a variety of topics, to help teachers guide students in the use of open datasets. The principles behind these resources can be applied by teachers and students to other relevant open datasets. Suitable for key stages 3, 4 and 5.

Find out more about the Royal Geographical Society's online lectures offered through their School Membership package

What has been happening in Australia? The 2019/2020 fire season has seen abnormally high temperatures, searing heat and vast wildfires, which are still raging out of control. The severity of the wildfires are a consequence of global warming with ‘climatic extremes’ now being widely forecast around the world.

Get inspired and rediscover the joy of science during the stay home guidance. You can join Imperial from wherever you are in the world with their online content and events!

Resources to support recent geographical stories in the press. Suitable for Key Stages 1-5.

Follow step-by-step instructions for science activities and experiments that are safe and easy to do in the classroom or at home.

Did you know that all clouds are named and classified using a system invented in 1803 by amateur meteorologist Luke Howard? In this film, Alex Lathbridge talks to curator Alex Rose and finds out why Howard named the clouds and what he called them. Take a closer look at Howard's cloud illustrations (as seen in the video) on the Science Museum Group Collection website Clouds.

From light bulbs to motorways and cups of tea to concrete, discover the extraordinary science stories behind familiar objects and technologies we encounter every day

From light bulbs to motorways and cups of tea to concrete, discover the extraordinary science stories behind familiar objects and technologies we encounter every day.

Turning their eyes towards the sky, the Russian people pioneered space travel, becoming the first nation to launch satellites, animals and humans into orbit. Their early achievements were seen as a challenge by America, and created fierce competition between the two nations. Delve into a fascinating world of exploration and discovery..

Earth Photo is an international competition and exhibition created by the Society and Forestry England. This virtual exhibition showcases the very best in environmental visual media and how it can better connect us with the world by telling stories and encouraging discussion about our planet, its inhabitants and our treatment of both.

Watch environmental scientist Alex McGoran and take a virtual trip down the Thames to discover how plastic is affecting the animals that call the river home.

Hang out with the Nature Live Online team on Tuesdays at 12.00 and Fridays at 10.30 for interactive talks featuring topical discussions with the NHM scientists and cutting-edge research.

Keeping a nature journal is a great way to record any nature you see, from plants in the park to a spider in your living room. If you keep up the habit, you will quickly build up a record of your local wildlife and surroundings. Your findings could even help scientists monitor wildlife changes.

Of the Museum's 80 million specimens, only a tiny fraction ever go on display. Uncover colourful stories behind the specimens, meet collectors and curators past and present and read about their contributions to our understanding of the natural world.

Stepping into a teacher's shoes, even for a short time, may be daunting, especially if it feels like centuries since you were in the classroom yourself. But don't panic! Historic Royal Palaces has lots of ideas and resources online to help your children continue exploring history without having to step outside the front door.

RBKC libraries have a fantastic online library to keep you entertained and uplifted. In addition to daily newspapers, there is a vast selection of journals, comics, books, audiobooks, language-learning platform, reference books and much more! If you don't have a library card, all you have to do is join online and download the CloudLibrary app.

There’s not much fun to be had on a rainy day, but Emma-Jayne Parkes wanted to use her design skills and a special type of ‘smart’ material to change that perception. Discover more about her Squid London’s colour changing umbrella!

The COVID-19 induced turmoil included US oil prices turning negative for the first time in history. Experts from Imperial have provided analysis of the global downturn in the price of oil.

The Design Museum has the ideal solution to keep your little ones entertained while stimulating their creative juices - and all you need are every day objects found around the home.

The Goethe-Institut's popular podcasts regularly feature a dynamic and thought-provoking selection of exclusive interviews and debates. Kris Nelson, Artist Director of LIFT discusses 'why does theatre matter right now?' against a background of rising right-wing parties, and the current challenges of COVID-19.

The NHM is inviting all you budding photographers to explore nature on your doorstep. It could be from your balcony or in your back garden. Share your snaps with them on Instagram and inspire others - and stay safe! #WPYFromHome.

A research team from Imperial College London, whose COVID-19 model influenced the UK Government's decisions, has written a version aimed at teenagers. Working with Science Journal for Kids, the article comes with lesson ideas, questions, a teacher’s key and a glossary of scientific words with their meanings explained.

In the Science Museum’s new Shaping Science series, meet the artisans who are using a mix of traditional and modern techniques to create beautiful hand-made scientific instruments from a replica seventeenth century globe to a brass sundial and clock wheel.

This year the Science Museum is celebrating the science of everyday objects through a new series of online stories. So grab a cuppa and settle down to learn about that mid-century icon, the Teasmade, or explore the illuminating story of how electric lighting transformed our homes.

Hospitals with no beds or blankets. Emaciated, weak and dying soldiers. Rats and fleas everywhere. When Florence Nightingale arrived with her 38-strong nursing team in the Crimea in November 1854, this was the appalling scene that greeted them. Two years later, she had developed pioneering statistical methods to convince other people that widespread reform was vital.

Climate change could mean mosquitoes that can carry diseases like dengue, zika and yellow fever become established in southern Europe within 10 years, reveals a new study from Imperial College London.

When the COVID-19 pandemic broke out, 35 MSc Petroleum Geoscience students were determined to ensure their field trip to the Pyrenees mountain range still went ahead in an entirely new format, in what is thought to be the first in a UK university setting at Master's level.

The Royal Society of Sculptors has teamed up with ArtUK for this week's creative challenge - sculpture inspired by architecture. Look at books & photos for inspiration from unusual buildings, or explore the internet for ideas from around the world. Then use anything recyclable around your home and start creating!

Take a virtual tour of the magnificent Crystal Palace and experience its innovative design and beauty. Constructed in 1851, it defined Prince Albert's ambitions to showcase the best of Victoria's reign.

Roger Highfield, Science Director, explains why the fate of the nation rests on a seemingly simple number R - the ‘reproduction number' - and the cornerstone of the Government’s lockdown policies. Another great read.

The Science Museum's Learning Resources is bursting with interesting and fun experiments. Bring the wonder home and explore science and maths with their hands-on activities the whole family can do together.

Discover more about how science and maths affect the world around us with the Science Museum's free games, and apps. Spring your way through 30 obstacle levels on Launchball or test your own all-terrain space rover.in Rugged Rovers. For early learners through to KS4.

Every week Westminster libraries will be posting their #BookoftheWeek. This week's book is Normal People by Sally Rooney - and to make it even easier you can download a copy from cloudLibrary with your library card.

Fun activities for young ones to discover more about this iconic landmark and its namesake Lord Leighton. Learn about the amazing paintings which line its walls and create a masterpiece of your own!

In the latest Imperial College podcast, hear about Britain’s intelligence and mental health, COVID-19’s impact on primary care, and a sustainable economic recovery after the pandemic.

70 years after Partition, Shreyashi Dasgupta goes in search of her grandfather's old home. A tale that explores the idea that even the greatest moments in history are played out in small, intimate, human dramas. One of many fascinating podcasts you can watch with the Royal Geographical Society.

Inspire students' creativity and passion with the Design Museum's fantastic range of ready made lessons. Make a wiggle side chair, redesign your kitchenware or design your own environmentally friendly packaging - with everyday materials and household objects.

Reserve your spot every Friday with Kensington & Chelsea Libraries' Book of the Week. This week Chan Ho-Kei’s Second Sister is up for discussion; part-thriller, part-detective, it's a tale of sexual harassment, internet bullying, and youth suicide.

Join Historic Royal Palace's Joint Chief Curator, Lucy Worsley, in a special one-off programme, 'Lucy Worsley's Royal Photo Album', as she uncovers the stories behind some of the most famous photographs of the British Royal Family.

Not everyone can come to the Royal Parks right now, so they want to bring the Royal Parks to you. Be prepared to escape into the nature, heritage and beauty of these incredible green spaces from the comfort of your own home.

This is a hairy anglerfish, one of only 17 discovered so far. This specimen is particularly intriguing because it has a huge expanded stomach. Scientists didn't want to cut it open and damage the specimen so instead used a CT scanner to discover what was inside.

In the first of a series of seminars on COVID-19, two experts will talk about their work into mitigating the impacts of this infection through the development of a new vaccine and other therapeutic approaches.

Lockdown and school closures in Europe may have prevented 3.1m deaths. This is the conclusion of a modelling study from Imperial College London scientists, published online in Nature today, which suggests that lockdown measures have been sufficient to control the growth of the epidemic.

Watch curator Alex talk about the world’s first fitted kitchen, made to fit the room perfectly - and then have a go at designing your own.

New simulations from Imperial College London have revealed the asteroid that doomed the dinosaurs struck Earth at the 'deadliest possible' angle. Such a strike likely unleashed billions of tonnes of sulphur, blocking the sun and triggering the nuclear winter that killed the dinosaurs and 75 per cent of life on Earth 66 million years ago.

In times like these, the reflective space poetry offers can give respite to breathe and recharge. Every day this week book suggestions from Westminster Libraries' staff will be highlighted. All the books are available for free on their cloud library service with your membership card.

Punk Science man Dan shows us how to save energy and resources and look cool at the same time (well, almost!)…

Do you kids like making noise? Using a kind of gong made from a coat hanger and some string, this activity investigates how sound travels, The gong makes a surprising and intriguing sound – but only when you have your fingers in your ears.

Asian ceramics have been the subject of international and inter-Asian trade for over one thousand years. Transported by sea through dangerous waters, many of these ceramics never made their final destination, but not all have ended up on the ocean's bed.

Everyone has their own favourite tunes, songs that make their mind drift off into daydreams or remind them of a particular time in their lives. But what happens when we listen to music we like? Or more accurately, how do our brains respond to music even if we claim not to like it?

During times of pandemic, a host of everyday, often-overlooked ‘objects’are suddenly charged with new urgency. Pandemic Objects is one of many thought-provoking articles written by V&A bloggers.

In Imperial's latest edition of podcasts, we find out how to make a billion COVID-19 vaccines, why women feel unsafe on public transport, and how emerging economies fare under COVID-19.

Crisis and the rise of the right... We refer to Europe mainly in terms of its political and economic systems, and often only when those systems are being challenged. With Brexit now a certainty, we want to address Europe as a place and as a concept - a continent formed of an international community.

RBKC Libraries Book of the Week is Julian Barne's exquisitely written The Sense of an Ending. Tony Webster and his clique first met Adrian Finn at an all boys' school. Sex-hungry and book-hungry, they traded affectations, in-jokes, rumour and wit. Now Tony is retired. He's had a career and a single marriage, a calm divorce. He's certainly never tried to hurt anybody. Memory, though, is imperfect. It can always throw up surprises, as a lawyer's letter is about to prove.

A wonderful opportunity to see and listen to Michael Morpurgo each day as he reads an extract from Antoine de Saint-Exupéry's The Little Prince, accompanied by Kristin Scott Thomas, Ben Okri, Jade Anouka, Ruth Wilson & Thereal Nihal. Stay for the discussion afterwards othe timeless themes of this classic tale that still resonate today, from writing in times of crisis to the importance of cross-cultural relationships between countries to celebrate lasting creativity.

How can botanical knowledge support practices of ecological and personal healing? Victoria Sin and Lucia Pietroiusti co-host a round table with Emma Nicolson from Royal Botanic Garden, Edinburgh with artists Keg de Souza, Nabihah Iqbal and botanist Greg Kenicer. Featuring sound works by Rachel Pimm and Keg de Souza.

Did you know... Atwood was known to carry around newspaper clippings to demonstrate The Handmaid’s Tale’s basis in reality. Set in New England in the near future, Atwood posits a Christian fundamentalist theocratic regime in the former United States that arose as a response to a fertility crisis. Free to download with your library card.

In his latest blog exploring the science of coronavirus, Science Director Roger Highfield speaks to Sir Michael Marmot, Director of the Institute of Health Equity at UCL, about why some communities are at higher risk of COVID-19.

From joyful depictions of nightclubs to the tensions between police & the Afro-Caribbean community during the late 1970s & early 80s, ​Denzil Forrester (Painting, 1983) ​has been painting about the British Afro-Caribbean experience​ f​or nearly 40 years.

In the last entry in the Royal Society of Sculptors' series of blogposts written by their Trustees whilst in lockdown, Richard Stone FRSS considers time and balance through the medium of a dandelion clock - a perfect, timeless form.

Bringing together world-leading experts in polar and marine exploration, the expedition aimed to solve unanswered questions about one of the most remote and least-studied wilderness areas on our planet. From Key Stage 1 to Key Stage 5. ,

Connected is an experiment which set out to explore how designers and craftspeople adapted their working practices during lockdown. Nine international designers have been challenged to create a table and seating, that is personal to them, for home living and working.

Sir Ian Blatchford describes how the Science Museum Group is focused on meaningful and ongoing change in response to Black Lives Matter.

Trumpet virtuoso Håkan Hardenberger leads Jack Wilson through a masterclass on From the Wreckage, by RCM Research Fellow in Composition Mark-Anthony Turnage. Supported by the RCM Symphony Orchestra under the directorship of Timothy Lines, watch this engaging journey through a classic of contemporary concerto repertoire.

This time last year hundreds of staff, students and volunteers were getting ready to host the Great Exhibition Road Festival. We’re sorry Covid-19 means we can’t do it all again this year but it means we’re even more excited about 2021. Meanwhile, relive some of the highlights of last year here.

Flowers in a Glass Vase (1667) is the earliest-known signed work by the Dutch artist Jacob van Walscapelle. This striking still life explores the theme of transience, depicting a bouquet of fast-fading flowers. Ironically, the beauty of the painting itself had started to fade, as it had not been treated since it arrived at the V&A in 1900. A fascinating video of its transformation.

The Science Museum has joined forces with the BBC to bring you Bitesize Daily. Experience the wonders of science at home with exciting experiments and demonstrations carried out using exhibits at the Museum's Wonderlab: The Equinor Gallery in London.

Researchers have solved the mystery of why a species of bacteria that causes food poisoning can swim faster in stickier liquids, such as within guts. The findings could potentially help scientists halt the bacteria in its tracks,

The Shellworks, founded by Imperial College London graduates Insiya Jafferjee, Amir Afshar and Edward Jones, won the Venture Catalyst Challenge 2020 for their invention which turns waste crustacean shells into biodegradable, composable products that can be used as an alternative to plastic. 6.3 billion tonnes of plastic waste has been created on earth to date but might now become a thing of the past.

Volcanic eruptions are one of the most powerful natural forces on our planet. Making your own miniature erupting volcano is a great, safe way to start learning about these incredible geological features.

The Royal Parks' 5,000 acres of historic green spaces have been a haven during these extraordinary times, a place to hang out with family and friends, exercise or simply unwind. But their popularity has produced an astonishing 258 tonnes of trash equivalent to 20 London buses! This summer the Royal Parks are asking everyone to spread some kindness and help look after our precious green spaces. Spread the word!

Sir Michael Marmot, Director of the Institute of Health Equity at University College London, talks to Science Director Roger Highfield about why some communities are at higher risk of COVID-19. His pioneering studies of civil servants revealed how, as you move down the social hierarchy to an office messenger, your risk of illness and death rises.

For the first time, a new study simultaneously tracks brain activity, eye movements and body movements of a pro race car driver in extreme conditions. The Imperial College London research team worked with Formula E World Champion Lucas di Grassi to compare how his brain and body reacted to steep curves and straight segments of the Top Gear race track under wet and rainy conditions. The results, published in Scientific Reports, could help explain how experts in physical tasks have tuned their bodies to react.

The Solar Orbiter spacecraft has unveiled its first images, including what appear to be ubiquitous miniature solar flares. The ‘campfire’ flares may solve a longstanding mystery about our star: why its outer atmosphere is hotter than its surface.

How has the coronavirus pandemic impacted upon what and how we eat? In a new Imperial Stories feature, Imperial College London experts explain how our diets have been affected by COVID-19.

The Institut français' online French courses have proved so popular that they are continuing through July and August. There's still time to sign up and there's a great choice: if you're an early bird, a night owl or a determined intensive learner, their timetable can accommodate all!

Scientists have tracked a ‘boomerang’ earthquake in the ocean for the first time, providing clues about how they could cause devastation on land. The rupture initially spreads away from the initial break but then turns and runs back the other way at higher speeds.

An increasing number of women, supported and encouraged by Imperial College, are participating in science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM)-related careers, leaving their mark and encouraging future generations of women to take up the gauntlet. Watch some of their women in action and find out how you can follow in their footsteps.

Imperial’s COVID-19 Response Team has been working with health services and governments around the world to help plan responses to the pandemic. Since January, the team have been working relentlessly to model the pandemic in real-time, providing policymakers and health leaders around the world with the latest estimates of the scale of outbreaks.

Join the surgeon and academic Professor Roger Kneebone in conversation with unorthodox people whose careers defy traditional boundaries and who swim against the tide. Howard Williams, distinguised international conductor, explores the parallels between our experiences, discussing similarities and differences between music and medicine.

A quarter of British mammals are at risk of extinction. Out of the 47 native mammals, 11 are at risk of extinction, including the much-loved hedgehogs and water voles. Discover tips on how to help hedgehogs and build your own hedgehog house.

The Serpentine Galleries' latest podcast features perspectves from self-organised Indigenous organisations at the front line of extraction and climate change, as well as artists researching our more-than-human entanglements.

The Goethe-Institut welcomes you back. Immerse yourself in their library or join that long-awaited language course. Whilst some events will remain online for now, all in-house activities will be conducted with your safety foremost. Welcome back!

James Bowen's A Streetcat Named Bob is Westminster Libraries' Book of the Week. Since the publication of his popular book, Bowen now dedicates his time to working with homelessness, literacy, and animal welfare charities. Visit one of their libraries today and give it a read!

A podcast series where you can take a behind-the-scenes look at the eight Royal Parks. From the Royal Observatory of Greenwich Park to the roaming deer of Richmond, explore 5,000 acres of historical parkland right in the middle of London. Meet some of the incredible experts who work at The Royal Parks and discover the fascinating stories of these iconic green spaces.

When we think about the history of exploration, we often imagine it as the work of exceptional individuals in extraordinary circumstances. Men and women venturing forth on some incredible journey, a fundamentally collective and shared experience. This wonderful online exhibition draws on images of exploration since 1800.

Sharks’ non-bony skeletons were thought to be the template before bony internal skeletons evolved, but a new fossil discovery suggests otherwise. The discovery of a 410-million-year-old fish fossil with a bony skull suggests the lighter skeletons of sharks may have evolved from bony ancestors, rather than the other way around.

A new website uses reported cases and deaths to estimate the probability regions in England, Scotland and Wales will become COVID-19 ‘hotspots’. The team behind the website, from Imperial College London, define a hotspot as a local authority where there are more than 50 cases of COVID-19 per 100,000 of the population per week.

Sanne Visser is a Dutch designer who works and lives in London. Learn how to harness the potential of natural materials and circular design in a behind-the-scenes look into her home studio.

An international team of astronomers from Cardiff University and Imperial College has discovered a rare molecule – phosphine – in the clouds of Venus that could indicate the presence of life.

The digital artwork “Earth Speakr” by Olafur Eliasson on the occasion of the German EU Council Presidency invites children to speak for the planet – and adults to listen to what they have to say.

In an everchanging world, designers of tomorrow need to be inspired. The V&A's Innovate is a fantastic opportunity for students in years 7, 8 and 9 to work in teams to design a solution to a real-world problem. The two themes this year are Home and Community. Become an Innovator.

The Crystal Palace dinosaurs might look comically incorrect, but they hold an important place in the history of palaeontology and at the time of construction in 1854 were as accurate as was possible based on the scientific data available. But just how much did Benjamin Waterhouse Hawkins and his scientific advisors get right and wrong about these prehistoric reptiles?

First to feature in Japan House London's new travel series, is the Edo-Tokyo Open-Air Architectural Museum, an interactive open-air space in western Tokyo featuring preserved buildings from the Meiji period. Take a look at a wonderful selection of Japan's culture from

Celebrate science and the arts at home with a year-round programme of online events from organisations across South Kensington. This month. peek behind the curtain with a magician helping surgeons develop new skills and explore how arts engagement affects mental and social wellbeing.

Tribes is a fascinating exploration of both the benign and malign effects of our very human need to belong. How this need – genetically programmed and socially acquired – can manifest itself in positive ways, collaboratively achieving great things that individuals alone cannot. And yet how, in recent years, globalisation and digitisation have led to new, more pernicious kinds of tribalism.

This Black History Month the RGS is sharing the stories of Black geographers from the 1800s through to the present day who have contributed to the better understanding of our world. Each Thursday during October, they will be sharing short profiles of some of the Black geographers who have a connection with the Society or who appear in the Society’s historical Collections.

Linking in with Japan's cultural calendar, each month a different theme is explored. This October it's metalworking. In conjunction with LIVE! Kouba – a virtual factory festival - invites visitors to explore the renowned metal-craft workshops of the Tsubame-Sanjo region.

Chosen by the V&A's African Heritage Gallery Guides, this selection of extraordinary objects invites you to take a closer look at European depictions of race, enslavement, pride, freedom, equality and activism.

Photographers, both amateur and professional, were invited to submit up to 10 photographs or films to Earth Photo, an international photography competition and exhibition. Developed jointly with the Royal Geographical Society (with IBG), Earth Photo aims to stimulate conversations about the world, its inhabitants and our treatment of both. 54 photos and videos shortlisted in a virtual exhibition online now.

In this lecture Dr Kate Simpson explores the RGS-IBG’s digital library to identify the African women in the expeditions of David Livingstone, to present alternate narratives of exploration through which these women can be restored, and to reinscribe their role within the historical archival record

This exhibition showcases a selection of platinum prints, available to purchase, made from the newly digitised glass and celluloid negatives of the 1921 British Mount Everest Reconnaissance Expedition.

As the world is facing a new economic crisis, how could the arts and civil society benefit from blockchain technologies? Hear from artists, curators, technologists and researchers who are using blockchain to revolutionise their way of working in the Goethe-Institut London’s latest Talking Culture podcast episode.

Feeling inspired? The 57th Wildlife Photographer of the Year competition is open for your submissions - and all ages and abilities. Hurry! Deadline is 11:30am GMT on 10 December 2020.

Until the Royal College of Music can welcome you back in person, RCM Sparks is delighted to continue to offer a range of digital resources as well as participatory workshops and courses via Zoom, all designed to support the Recovery Curriculum. The digital resources are grouped by age: Early Years (0-4), Ignite and Explorers (5-11) and Springboard (12-18) and consist of activity packs, backing tracks or videos and are suitable for use in the classroom.

The Natural History Museum's virtual tour allows you to explore 14 exhibitions and access 300,000 specimens. Zoom in on the tiny details of the main hall's gilded ceiling or take a closer look at the marine reptiles discovered by Mary Anning. Enjoy a day at the Museum without even having to leave your home!