what teachers think
Great trip! The students enjoyed all of it and had their learning reinforced!"
-4th Grade Teacher, Effinger Elementary School in Lexington, Va.
The Kodiak bear is one of many exhibits that draw in hundreds of area elementary students each year
Welcome to the museum!
Established in 1968, the Hostetter Museum of Natural History is home to more than 6,000 artifacts and specimens and neat highlights:
- fluorescent rock room
- 3,000 year-old mummy hand
- full mount American bison
- Kodiak bear
- Rocky mountain goat
- two-headed calf
- special exhibits like the Arctic Region, Native Americans, and Ancient Egypt
After months of hard work, the museum reopened in Fall 2007 with a new activity room (formerly the Brackbill Planetarium) with beautiful artwork and numerous hands-on exhibits for elementary-age children.
Customized programs
Special effort is made to adapt the entire museum program to the specific grade level of students and to reinforce VA Standards of Learning and WV Learning Outcomes.
(Note: the Brackbill Planetarium is closed and the space has been renovated to become the hands-on workshop area, known as the Discovery Room, of the museum.)