Lewis Latimer paid a lot of attention to the world around him, trying to understand what he could do to make the world a better place and how he could ensure that every home could enjoy the new opportunities that came with the light bulb. In this field trip experience, students will tour the new permanent exhibition and will uncover the stories of Lewis Latimer, his family, and of the local community through an interactive scavenger hunt. Inspired by Latimer’s impact on the development of electric lighting, students will then participate in a hands-on paper circuit activity and design challenge where they will redesign the fixtures that light our streets and public spaces.

Lewis Latimer was not only a renaissance man, but an early pioneer of electric engineering. With this workshop, we pay homage to his contributions to electricity. Students will learn about the importance of electricity and the way in which it is transferred by using it as a key principle for innovation and design to create paper circuits.

This program meets the following New York City Social Studies curriculum standards:3-5 ETS1-1, 3-5 ETS1-3, MS ETS1-1, MS ETS1-3, MS ETS1-4

Lewis Latimer paid a lot of attention to the world around him, trying to understand what he could do to make the world a better place and how he could ensure that every home could enjoy the new opportunities that came with the light bulb. Inspired by Latimer’s impact on the development of electric lighting, students will explore what it means to be an innovator and use paper circuits to redesign the fixtures that light our streets and public spaces.