BE ADVISED: The NHM Car Park will be closed on Friday, April 3 in preparation for First Fridays. Parking is available at the Blue Structure Parking Lot at Exposition Park Drive and Figueroa Street. Tickets for the event are SOLD OUT. For questions or directions, please call 213.763.3466 or email info@nhm.org.

Autonomy, Agency, Joy: Early Learning in Museums

Saturday, April 11, 2026 | 10:30 am–1:30 pm
Add to calendar 2026-04-11 10:30:00 2026-04-11 13:30:00 Event - April 2026 Ed Workshop - NHM Natural History Museum nhmla webmaster@nhm.org America/Los_Angeles public
Kids coloring in the discovery center

Date

Saturday, April 11, 2026 | 10:30 am–1:30 pm

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Location

Natural History Museum
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Tickets

Register here

Join us at our upcoming Educator Workshop exploring early childhood learning in museums. Hear from the Director of Learning & Engagement at the Clyfford Still Museum, Nicole Cromartie, and their approach to engaging our youngest learners in museum spaces and in the classroom. Educators will hear a presentation by our guest speaker, be led in hands-on activities and share moments of reflection with peers. After each program we send participants a digital resource packet with free resources and related activities.

*This program is suggested for for early childhood educators grades 2nd and lower

AGENDA OVERVIEW

  • Light Breakfast
  • Introductions & Maslow's
  • Guest speaker presentation
  • Activity
  • Teacher share out, reflections and raffle
  • Post-workshop self exploration

Our Speaker

Nicole Cromartie

Nicole Cromartie is the Director of Learning and Engagement at the Clyfford Still Museum in Denver, Colorado, and a doctoral student in the Leadership for Educational Equity, Early Childhood Education at the University of Colorado Denver. Her research interests include making museum learning visible, sharing authority with children, fostering equitable museum–school partnerships, and museum education leadership. As a Getty Museum Scholar in the spring of 2025, she began work on a book about young children’s engagement with the arts in museums, which is currently in progress. In 2021, Routledge published her first book, Evaluating Early Learning: Planning for Our Youngest Visitors, which presents developmentally appropriate and culturally relevant practices for engaging young children and their families in museums. She earned her MA in Curatorial Practice from California College of the Arts and her BA in Art History from the University of Florida.

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Nicole Cromartie is the Director of Learning and Engagement at the Clyfford Still Museum in Denver, Colorado, and a doctoral student in the Leadership for Educational Equity, Early Childhood Education at the University of Colorado Denver. Her research interests include making museum learning visible, sharing authority with children, fostering equitable museum–school partnerships, and museum education leadership. As a Getty Museum Scholar in the spring of 2025, she began work on a book about young children’s engagement with the arts in museums, which is currently in progress. In 2021, Routledge published her first book, Evaluating Early Learning: Planning for Our Youngest Visitors, which presents developmentally appropriate and culturally relevant practices for engaging young children and their families in museums. She earned her MA in Curatorial Practice from California College of the Arts and her BA in Art History from the University of Florida.

IMPORTANT WORKSHOP INFORMATION

  • Due to the popularity of these opportunities registration entries for this event will be selected using a lottery system to ensure a more equitable registration process. We are also allocating a subset of tickets to first time attendees! Please follow the registration link for more details.
  • While we love welcoming your families to our museums, this specific program is intended for formal & informal educators (18+).
  • In-person workshops are subject to cancellation due to low registration, inclement weather, or changes in safety measures.
  • Participants MUST register prior to the event and receive a confirmation email. There will not be registration at the door.
  • We aim to make the Natural History Museum an exciting, educational, and enjoyable experience for everyone. If you have any questions about accommodation services we offer, contact our Call Center at 213.763.3466 or info@nhm.org at least 48 hours in advance.
  • Topics and program are subject to change