Virtual field trips are a game changer. In addition to being a substitute for in-person field trips when budget or other obstacles preclude in-person participation, virtual field trips have been and continue to be a gateway to educational experiences across the country and around the world. Open. No donations or permits are required.
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Amazon
Amazon Career Tours are free virtual field trips that inspire students to pursue their future careers. Tour anytime, anywhere with Kahoot! Each tour comes with a teacher toolkit that includes a facilitation guide and student worksheets.
2. Zoo
When it comes to zoos, there are so many great options online that I couldn’t choose just one. Most zoos have live webcams installed at some of their most popular exhibits, such as the Polar Bear Camera at the KC Zoo and the Giant Panda Camera at the Smithsonian National Zoo. However, some zoos offer more detailed tours. Be sure to check out the San Diego Zoo kids site, which includes behind-the-scenes videos and stories, as well as a variety of printable activities and online games. Check out the complete list of great things about virtual zoos.
3. Aquarium
It’s a similar story at aquariums. Live webcams are your choice, but our favorites are Georgia Aquarium’s Ocean Voyager webcam (wait for the whale shark!) and Monterey Bay Aquarium’s “Jelly Cam” (so soothing). The Seattle Aquarium also offers a 30-minute video tour. Want more fun under the sea? Here is our ultimate list of virtual aquarium field trips.
4. Farm
The classic kindergarten field trip is now online! You can take your pick of field trips to dairy farms, but we like this one from Dairy Alliance and this one from Stonyfield Organic. Farm Food 360 offers students the opportunity to immerse themselves in a tour of Canadian farms and food, from raising pigs to making milk and cheese. I also love the virtual egg farm tours offered by American Egg Board.
5. Museum
We’ve found 20 museums with virtual tours, including #MetKids at the Metropolitan Museum of Art and the wonderful “Where’s Waldo?” setting. And don’t miss the world-famous Louvre Museum in Paris (no passport required!). Check out our current virtual tour: Traveling Materials and Objects, Emergence of Artists, Bodies in Motion, and Founding Myths: From Hercules to Darth Vader!
6. National Park
From webcams of Hawaii’s volcanoes to virtual runs along the rim of the Grand Canyon, there are plenty of options here. Our top choice would be Yellowstone. The interactive map is a great way to see Mammoth Hot Springs and the mud volcanoes, but kids will be excited about the Old Faithful Geyser livestream and the chance to predict the next eruption for themselves. Check out virtually everything the National Park Service has to offer.
7. Planetarium
Through Stellarium Web, kids can explore more than 60,000 stars, discover planets, and watch sunrises and eclipses. Enter your location and see all the constellations visible in the night sky in your corner of the world.
Take your students on a virtual field trip to recycling centers and modern landfills. Plus, there’s a complete curriculum including lesson plans, take-home handouts, and more.
Nickelodeon teamed up with two astronauts on the International Space Station to demonstrate how slime reacts to microgravity, and had kids recreate the same demonstration here on Earth. It makes for a great 15-minute virtual field trip.
The Nature Conservancy is offering a virtual field trip titled “You’re a Scientist!” Citizen science, frogs and cicadas. ” Check out our complete library of videos on topics like climate change and water security.
Discovery Education hosts a variety of virtual events, each accompanied by a guide with hands-on learning activities. Current offerings include “Night Navigators: Build for Bats” and “Mission Possible: Re-powering the Future.” Stay tuned for “The American Ideal,” an upcoming virtual field trip for citizens.
This virtual field trip from Great Lakes Now has three components: coastal wetlands, algae, and lake sturgeon. Each video is only 5 minutes long.
Explore online exhibitions and discover the history and evolution of play. Discover the board game that changed the way we play, the sports video game that shaped digital play, the creation of Monopoly, and more.
Children can learn about the latest U.S. Census and how census data is collected and used. This virtual field trip also includes interviews with subject matter experts and interactive challenges.
The Constitution Center, “We the People’s Museum,” serves as a headquarters for civic education. Check out our Interactive Constitution section and be sure to take a virtual tour.
Houston has a virtual field trip. There are actually three. All come with an educator guide. The highlight of the show is a behind-the-scenes tour of the Johnson Space Center.
The Georgia Department of Transportation is hosting this amazing virtual field trip to explore amazing destinations across Georgia. Check out Savannah’s River Street, Appalachian Trail, MLK Junior Park, and more. Students can choose their own vehicle and explore these destinations while completing road safety tasks.
This living history museum offers a glimpse into life in an early American community. The website offers five different webcams featuring areas such as the tavern and armory.
This virtual experience of George Washington’s home is incredibly well done. Enter a variety of buildings, from luxurious mansions to frigid slave quarters, and click on different items to see video and text descriptions.
This virtual tour comes with a real tour guide! Blaine Kortemeyer is the Deputy Director of Interpretation and Education and is lending his expertise to the construction of this national monument. 3D Explorer is also a great tool.
Visit the National World War II Museum for a “cross-country virtual expedition to discover the science, sites, and stories of atomic bomb making.” Don’t forget to download the classroom guide.
To see inside the iconic building, check out our 360-degree tour of some of People’s House’s most historic rooms, from the Situation Room to the Oval Office. Explore each room and see what’s inside up close.
The National Museum of Natural History Virtual Experience is a self-guided room-by-room tour of permanent, current, and past exhibits. Be sure to take your kids to the bone hall on the second floor to see all the different types of skeletons.
Partnered with over 1,200 major museums and archives, Google Arts & Culture is an incredible treasure trove of monumental works of art. We recommend the Street View and Play sections.
Home to the world’s largest collection of 360° images and videos, 360 Cities gives kids the chance to see stunning panoramas from around the world, including videos of ice floes on the Vistula River in Poland.
This is the official residence of the King of England, and it’s luxurious! Peek into the grand staircase, white drawing room, throne room, and blue drawing room.
See one of the wonders of the world at this amazing millennia-old fortification system known all over the world. This virtual tour features 4 scenes (you must pay to access all 14). The bird’s eye view of Mutianyu Pass is spectacular.
PBS.org
Most of us know about Easter Island’s giant stone statues, but what’s the story behind them? Nova’s online adventure The Secret of Easter Island takes you on a virtual tour.
This interactive 3D map of Mount Everest uses the latest satellite technology to show you the most-climbed routes to reach the top of this massive mountain.
You don’t need a time machine! There are tons of free resources in Discovering Ancient Egypt, but what really gives it the feel of an outdoor trip are the interactive pyramid maps and 3D temple reconstructions.
Virtually visit Turn Back the Clock, a museum exhibit that ran for two years at the Chicago Museum of Science and Industry. Through compelling personal stories, innovative interactive media, and pop culture artifacts, this exhibit takes guests through seven decades, from the dawn of the nuclear age to the critical policy issues facing today’s leaders. Leads you to history.
access mars
No, really! You can absolutely “go” to the Red Planet. Access Mars allows you to view the actual surface of Mars as recorded by NASA’s Curiosity rover. Please believe me. Don’t skip the intro. If your kids like it, check out this 4K moon tour. These may go down in history as the best virtual field trips students can experience.
Take a virtual tour of this historic battleship on Camden’s waterfront. This battleship covered more miles than any other battleship.
No need to travel to Rome. Admire the amazing art and architecture at the Vatican Museums while taking in 360-degree views.
houston space center
Download the app and ride the virtual tram! Take a virtual stroll through Space Center Houston with stops along the way for information.
Virtually visit the museum rooms of the famous Louvre Museum in Paris. For student-friendly galleries and stories, visit the Louvre’s children’s site. You can’t visit the Louvre without seeing the Mona Lisa. Check out the immersive Mona Lisa experience available in the app store.
scholar
This interactive tour of Ellis Island allows students to explore locations such as baggage storage and the Separation Stairs through short stories, historic photos, videos, and audio clips. Students hear stories from real children who recently immigrated to the United States, examine colorful charts and graphs containing immigration data, and National Park Service rangers explain what it was like to come to the United States. You can also watch a 30-minute film that includes a Q&A with For many immigrants.
38. Plimoth Patuxet Art Museum
Primos Pataxet
Travel back to the 17th century with free, on-demand digital resources or the option of a 1-hour live virtual school program led by educators from Plimoth Patuxet Museum of Modern Indian Peoples. Students explore the daily life and history of the Wampanoag. Discover the true history of Thanksgiving and the legends behind it. Meet 17th century pilgrims. Take an interactive peek into a 17th century wardrobe. Learn about simple machinery and water power at Plymouth Flour Mill. There are also options for virtual hands-on history workshops such as Wampanoag Pottery and Light Like a Pilgrim.
children’s museum of houston
If you can’t visit the museum in person, a 3D virtual field trip to the Children’s Museum of Houston is the next best thing. All videos are produced and curated by museum educators and feature hands-on activities that can be done in the classroom. Topics include nutrition, mathematics, states of matter, the forces and properties of water, and more.
Museum of the American Revolution
“Beyond the Battle Field” is a virtual field trip for second through eighth grade students hosted by Lauren Tarsis, author of the “I Survived” children’s historical novel series. Students will meet with museum educators and museum curators and explore artifacts and documents from the American Revolutionary War. You can also hear stories from teenagers who served during the war. Classroom kits with vocabulary lists and discussion questions for each grade level are also available.
