Family Activities
Family-friendly events for families with children of all ages. Looking for Summer Camp information, visit our Summer Camp page?
In Gallery Activity
Offering different in gallery activities as part of admission. During extended hours on Thursdays, starting June 4th and on Saturdays during the Summer. Thursday activity begins at 5:15 pm, Saturday activities will be at 11 am, 1 pm, and 3 pm. Below are the potential in-gallery activity, dependent upon which staff is working.
- Children's Reading & Activity Time - Join Hailie, educator, for a children's story and associated activity.
- Garbology - Join Stephanie, anthropologist, to find out about the scientific study of trash, including its origins, patterns, and society and the environment.
- Basket Weaving Bracelet - Join Kristal, local artist, in creating your own unique bracelet from cornhusk.
- Origami - Join Sarah, local artist, to guide you through the process of making your own origami animal
Snake Encounter
July 19, August 16
12 to 3 pm
Dr. Charles (Chuck) Peterson will be on-hand to change our view of snakes with this afternoon snake encounter. Snakes are important for many reasons. They are important elements of biodiversity with over 4,000 species of snakes worldwide. They play key ecological roles as both predators and prey. Snakes benefit humans because they help control rodent populations thus preventing the loss of crops and the spread of some diseases. They also provide important model systems for biological research and are symbolically important in many cultures throughout the world.
After interacting with a Great Basin Rattlesnake, made secure by Dr. Peterson, join us for making "snake skins" crafts and other related snake activities.
Storytime with Elizabeth Shreeve
August 2, 2025
12 to 2 pm
Regular Admission
Join the Idaho Museum of Natural History as we host Storytime with author Elizabeth Shreeve. Shreeve will read from two of her books, Oceans Journey and Out of the Blue. We will have children's activities, Dr. Leif Tapanila will be on hand to answer questions about the Buzzsaw shark, and you can purchase books to be signed by the author.
Author Elizabeth Shreeve
Award-winning author Elizabeth Shreeve writes children’s books that celebrate the history and diversity of life on Earth. She majored in geology at Harvard College, where she studied with renowned scientists Stephen Jay Gould and E.O. Wilson. Following a career in urban planning, she now writes from her home in California shared with her family, including Hector the PaleoDog. Recent titles include On an Ocean Journey (Sasquatch Books, 2025, with Ray Troll), The Oddball Book of Armadillos and The Upside-Down Book of Sloths (Norton Young Readers, 2023 and 2024) and Out of the Blue: How Animals Evolved from Prehistoric Seas (Candlewick Press, 2021). Upcoming books include Dinosaurs to Dragons: The Lore & Science of Mythical Creatures (Atheneum, 2026). Visit her at https://elizabethshreeve.com/ and @ShreeveBooks.
Artist Ray Troll
Artist Ray Troll creates nature-inspired imagery that swims into museum exhibits, books, magazines, and a popular line of T-shirts sold around the globe. He earned a Bachelor of Arts degree from Bethany College in Lindsborg, Kansas and an MFA in studio arts from Washington State University. In 2008 he was awarded an honorary doctorate in fine arts from the University of Alaska Southeast. Ray’s books for children include On an Ocean Journey (Sasquatch Books, 2025, with Elizabeth Shreeve), Alaska Dinosaur, Mammoths and More (Sasquatch Books, 2025, with Kirk Johnson), and Sharkabet: A Sea of Sharks from A to Z (West Winds Press, 2002; second edition coming October, 2025). He and his wife Michelle live and work in Ketchikan, Alaska. For more of Ray’s work, visit https://www.trollart.com/ and @ray.troll.