I would like to invite you to come grab your favorite beverage and snack. Then come pull Up a chair and sit on the porch with me As I’d like to introduce you to Amy Stamm, who has decided to come and share her thoughts with us about the Smithsonian’s National Air and Space Museum’s new “On Air” educational video series.

So, pull up a chair, grab your favorite beverage, and come sit on the porch with me as we meet Amy Stamm. Together, we’re going to learn more about “On Air,” discover how it brings the Smithsonian into classrooms and homes, and see how families, homeschoolers, teachers, and students can use these resources to make learning a little more fun. I didn’t have these opportunities when I homeschooled my children and I feel like we missed out.

Come on—let’s sit down and get to know Amy Stamm

Amy Stamm is the Digital Content Strategist and Social Media Lead for the Smithsonian’s National Air and Space Museum. She joined us to talk about “On Air,” a new educational video series created for students in grades 5–8.

The series brings together short, classroom-friendly videos, Smithsonian objects and stories, careers, student activities, educator guides, and lesson plans. We asked Amy to tell us more about the series and how families can use it at home.

What was the idea behind creating “On Air,” and what do you hope students in grades 5–8 take away from the series?

Amy Stamm: The National Air and Space Museum has been producing videos for students for over 10 years as part of the STEM in 30 series that explored science, technology, engineering, and math concepts in each 30-minute episode.

Based on teacher feedback, we developed On Air, which is a new series comprised of shorter, more classroom-friendly videos. Each On Air collection introduces a video introducing a topic, a Smithsonian object(s), a career, and a classroom activity.

The entire collection works together as a lesson but is also intended to be modular, allowing educators to pick and choose the videos and activities that work best for their class. We are also telling the stories of our objects in student-friendly ways to introduce students to the Museum’s collection and encourage them to learn more about science and history.

How can parents use “On Air” at home, especially families who homeschool or want to extend their children’s learning outside the classroom?

Amy Stamm: On Air is a great resource for homeschool families. It includes videos and student activities, which are outlined in our Educator Guide.

Parents and guardians can use the Guide to facilitate each video as a lesson or each month’s theme as a whole collection. Throughout the collection, homeschool students will actively follow along with the videos by completing activities like bingo and quizzes that align with national learning standards.

The first series of videos, launched in September, focuses on weather. In the collection, teachers and parents will understand how to use data to create a map of the wind speeds inside a hurricane. This lesson has a twist: it uses candy to map data points. So not only are the students learning about weather and hurricanes, but they are doing it in a fun—and tasty—way.

The series includes museum artifacts, educator guides, student activities, and full lesson plans. What makes these resources useful for families and educators who may not be able to visit the museum in person?

Amy Stamm: We know not everyone is going to be able to visit the Museum, but the Museum’s collection and stories are meant to be shared with the public. Providing these free, virtual resources is one way the Museum can share its vast resources with audiences near and far, whether they come onsite or not.

We value highlighting a variety of people and careers so that every student can see themselves reflected in the stories we tell. And we spotlight museum artifacts in a way that not only shows what they are, but also highlights why they are important to our everyday lives. These personal connections are critical to making Museum objects more familiar and accessible to students.

The lessons are a great way to dive into the Smithsonian stories as well. Each lesson is crafted with the idea that it will engage students, help them understand the content, and encourage them to learn more.

Each collection includes a Teacher Tips video that walks teachers through the in-depth lessons. Some of them offer a more complex experience than the standard lesson.

In these videos, Marty and Beth walk through the complexities and offer tips to make each lesson more engaging.

As the series moves through topics such as weather, the solar system, art, airships, moons, and comets and meteors, how do you choose the topics and artifacts featured in each collection?

Amy Stamm: The topics for each collection of videos are based on teacher feedback, museum monthly education themes, and previous frequently watched videos. We ask teachers which lessons they struggle to teach and what additional resources will help them facilitate their curriculum.

Artifacts, stories, and careers are selected for how well they align with national learning standards, the strength of the stories they tell, and the connections they create between museum content and what teachers need to support teaching.

Bringing the Smithsonian Home

One of the things I love about learning resources like “On Air” is that they remind us that education doesn’t have to happen only inside a classroom. A child can learn about hurricanes at the kitchen table. A homeschool family can explore a Smithsonian artifact from home. A teacher can use a short video to introduce a lesson and then let students dig deeper through an activity.

And sometimes, adding something as simple as candy to a science lesson can turn an ordinary afternoon into a Greatful Moment. Thank you to Amy Stamm for pulling up a chair and sharing her thoughts with us.

And to our readers—especially our young readers—thank you for coming to sit on the porch with us. Now, what will you discover today?

About Amy Stamm- Amy Stamm is the Digital Content Strategist and Social Media Lead for the Smithsonian’s National Air and Space Museum.

We appreciate Amy taking the time to answer our questions and introduce GreatfulMoments.com readers to the “On Air” educational series.

About “On Air”– “On Air” is a new educational video series from the Smithsonian’s National Air and Space Museum created for students in grades 5–8.

The 2026–2027 collections cover topics including weather, the solar system, art, airships, moons, and comets and meteors. The collections combine short videos with educator guides, student activities, and lesson plans.

Families, homeschoolers, and educators can use the resources to bring Smithsonian learning into their own classrooms and homes.

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Thank you,

Glenda, Charlie and David Cates