Teacher and Student Resources
The Buffalo Bill Center of the West offers these many resources for teachers and students, including tour maps, Skype in the Classroom lessons, and our Education Opportunities Guide.
Students sitting with educator by the Plains Indian Museum’s hide tipi.
NEW! Explore Plains Indian Culture and History
Looking to enrich your curriculum with primary resources through photos, art, and oral histories? This rich content will help teachers and students, whether they have visited the Center or not. Visit the following links to explore Plains Indian culture and history.
Land of Many Gifts
Learn about village life from the historic era.
Buffalo and the People
Explore the economic and spiritual importance of buffalo to the Native people of the Plains.
Honor and Celebration
Discover the ceremonial aspects of Plains life.
Adversity and Renewal
Reflect on the changes and innovation that have taken place in the cultures of Plains people since being placed on reservations.
Educational Opportunities Guide
Click here for our downloadable Educational Opportunities Guide
and find out more about the educational opportunities you can find with the Buffalo Bill Center of the West.
Plains Indian Map Project
This Plains Indian Map—created with generous funding from The Brown Foundation, Inc., of Houston—is a fusion of scholarship and educational interpretation. The map represents 230 years of movement on the Plains amongst more than 45 different Indian cultures. Territorial, treaty, reservation, and state boundaries flow in an animated timeline.
The innovative scholarship and interpretation showcased in this map is recommended for a broad audience, including K–12 teachers and students. Viewers can pause the online animation at any point to study a particular map.
Borrow a Backpack
Consider checking out one of our new backpacks while at the Center! This new resource will enhance your self-guided field trip experience through hands-on learning. Click here to find out more. Call 307-578-4028 today to reserve a backpack and other materials for your field trip.
Teacher Guides for our Guided Tours
The following guides are available for teachers to print. Each guide contains objectives, standards, pre- and post-visit activities, and a resource list.
- Teacher Guide for the Plains Indian Culture: Yesterday and Today Guided Tour
- Teacher Guide for the Plains Indian Tipi Activity and Guided Tour
- Teacher Guide for the Animal Adaptations Guided Tour
- Teacher Guide for the Trappers, Traders, and Trailblazers Guided Tour
- Teacher Guide for the Homesteading in Wyoming Guided Tour
Skype in the Classroom
The Buffalo Bill Center of the West is part of Skype in the Classroom. You can visit the Center virtually by signing up for one of our participatory lessons. Click here to find out more about this program and schedule a Skype lesson with us!
Lending Materials
The Buffalo Bill Center of the West also offers outreach trunks, learning kits, and DVDs on a variety of subjects, including western art, history, culture, Yellowstone natural history, and more. Click here to find out the details and submit a request online.
Center of the West Online Collections
Visit our new Online Collections database, where you and your class can browse our artifact collection and create your own “Virtual Exhibits.”
Online Games and Interactives
Don’t miss our new online games and interactives—as fun as they are educational.
Greater Yellowstone Sights and Sounds
Click here for short video clips, perfect for illustrating a school project.
