- Virtual field trips allow you and your kids to visit places all around the world from the comfort of your own home.
- Museums, zoos, aquariums, national landmarks and parks, historical sights, and space operations are just a few of the new and exciting places waiting for you to visit virtually.
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What Are Virtual Field Trips and Where Can I Find Them
Virtual field trips allow you to travel to new and exciting places without needing to leave the comfort of your own home. There are a variety of destinations available sure to appeal to just about anyone. These virtual field trips offer a sort of behind-the-scenes look at places such as museums, zoos, aquariums, landmarks, parks, and even offer a look into outer space. While you can visit the individual websites of whichever place that you would like to visit, there are sites like PBS Learning Media and Discovery Education that offer multiple virtual websites all from a single place.
When looking at touring a virtual destination make sure to check the recommended age group. While most will be exceedingly family friendly, some may have a suggested age group based on depth of topics presented. Another factor to be on the lookout for is time. While some are set up in a way that you can spend as little or as much time as you would like, others are basically a virtual tour which can span anywhere between 30 and 90 minutes. If the time specified is not what you had in mind, that may be a field trip to take another time.
Museums
With so many different categories of museums, there is sure one to capture the delight of your children. Whether you appreciate art, want to delve into history, long to learn the secrets of natural history and science, wish to see the future of technology, or otherwise, a museum virtual tour is a great way to showcase things unseen from around the world. The Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History offers a wonderful collection of virtual tours that would excite just about everyone . Likewise, the Louvre has artwork to ignite anyone’s imagination. Museums from all around the world offer virtual tours to bring new sights and ideas right into your home.
Zoos andAquariums
A day trip to the zoo or aquarium tends to please almost everyone. However, virtual tours offer more of a behind-the-scenes look at some of your favorite animals and exhibits. Not only that, but it cuts out the heat, bugs, and stress of keeping everyone together and happy by allowing you to tour the zoo or aquarium from your own home. Animal cams offer a close-up look at animals going about their daily lives. This is particularly interesting when newborn animals are involved. San Diego Zoo has a recorded field trip as well as multiple live cameras set up in a range of different animal habitats. The Georgia Aquarium has multiple webcams to view animals such as penguins, whales, sharks, otters, and more. So feel free to skip the heat and see the animals from the comfort of your couch.
Landmarks and Parks
Many worldwide landmarks and national parks offer virtual tours and webcams to share their wonders with everyone. Take a walk down the Great Wall of China, gaze up at the Pyramids of Giza, explore the Taj Mahal, see the Lincoln Memorial up close, and dive into Son Doong Cave. Another option to consider is Google Arts and Culture which gives 360 degree views of many places from around the world allowing you to virtually visit almost anywhere. As far as parks are concerned, many have nature cams where wildlife can be viewed in its natural habitat. The National Park Service website has a whole list of experiences for you to enjoy.
Space
If you are looking for out-of-this-world excitement, look no further than NASA’s virtual tours. They include tours of the International Space Station, Goddard Space Flight Center, behind-the-scenes spacecraft preparation, and photos sent back from space probes. Access Mars gives a look at the surface of Mars from NASA’s Curiosity Rover. Space is an exciting frontier, and these virtual tours and photos will inspire your space enthusiasts to delve further and learn more about their interstellar interests.
History
Children tend to learn more easily and retain more information about subjects when they can immerse themselves in a lesson. This is particularly true for history as most of what they are learning about is strictly in the past. Because of this they have a harder time picturing those objects and places.
Virtual tours and 360 degree views of historical places and items that have been preserved or recreated enables them see more clearly what their lessons are trying to teach them about. This tour of Abraham Lincoln’s home showcases what a home long ago looked like, what style of furniture was popular, and how they conducted their daily lives but also ties into historical figures as it paints a picture of how Abraham Lincoln lived. Historical sites such as Machu Picchu let students experience the architecture and designs of ancient civilizations as well as gives a look into their daily lives. The Anne Frank House gives a somber look at the struggles of war. There are numerous historically inclined virtual tours and views to help envelope your learners in their history lessons and bring those lessons to life.
Amusement Parks
Yes, even amusement parks have virtual tours available. For those of you who want to skip the lines, avoid the crowds, or who just don’t particularly enjoy amusement park rides, taking a virtual tour and ride via your computer may be just the alternative that you are looking for. Experience these exhilarating virtual rides from the front seat of 15 rollercoasters at HerseyPark, learn the science of Universal Orlando Resort with this official YouTube series, and climb the boulders at this Bolder Adventure Park virtual tour. Of course, there are also numerous YouTube videos capturing the excitement from the front seat of roller coasters if that is a virtual experience that interests you.
How to Add Something Extra to Your Virtual Field Trip
Virtual field trips and tours from around the world are sure to add a little something extra to your homeschool lessons. If you really want to enhance the experience, you can add in a DIY or educational project to go along with the virtual adventure. Here are some ideas:
Museums: Have your child create an art piece in the style that they most liked from the art museum tour. Alternatively, have them do a small research project about an object or subject that piqued their interest. This could include anything from dinosaurs to airplanes.
Zoos/Aquariums: Apply face paint of the child’s favorite animal or have them draw a picture of their favorite animal. Older children can complete a research project on either a specific animal or a conservation effort.
Landmarks and Parks: Your child can read a book or research online to further their knowledge on a place that interested them or have them make a visual representation of the area. This could be either a picture that they draw or a shadow box project.
Space: You can never go wrong with making a model of the solar system, but if you are looking for something a little different, doing a research project and making a clay model of a single planet is another good option. Either would make a beautiful DIY souvenir.
History: Creating a shadow box of a viewed place, a specific room of an old house, or a small portion of an exhibit at a museum is a creative and fun way to memorialize the virtual experience. You can use items that you already have or you can pre-purchase items for the art project.
Amusement Parks: This would present a great opportunity to have your child design and build their own rollercoaster using any type of play tracks or household items and construction/card stock paper. Another project that you could do together is to make a Rube Goldberg machine. Either project would include STEAM ideas such as problem solving and creativity.
Another great idea to incorporate with any virtual field trip is to have each of your children keep a “Virtual Field Trip” Journal. For each place that you visit, have your child write the name, location, draw or print a photo, list something interesting that they saw or learned, and write down their favorite part of the tour. This gives them not only the opportunity to create a sort of memorabilia that they can always keep and continue to add t,o but allows them to keep a visual track of all the places that they have visited.
My Family’s Favorite Virtual Field Trips and Tours
Our most visited site, Discovery Education, offers a range of virtual tours and field trips including career paths, conservation efforts, and positive self-reflection that all include a companion guide and hands-on activities. These, however, may contain topics and materials relevant to older children. When they were younger, my children enjoyed animal cams. My youngest has always enjoyed this tiger one from the San Diego Zoo Safari Park. I am particular to the Smithsonian Museum of Natural History as I have always enjoyed learning about old civilizations and extinct animals. I also enjoy the Son Doong Cave tour simply because of its beauty. Being a lover of aerospace, my husband enjoyed the Smithsonian Air and Space Museum. There is an enjoyable experience to be had by everyone no matter where your virtual roaming takes you. So sit back, relax, and travel the globe for exciting places and ideas.
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Is there a virtual field trip or tour that you and your family particularly enjoyed? Leave a comment to let everyone in the community know about it.
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