Who loves field trips? I know I do! I still remember my favorite field trips from when I was in elementary school. Field trips provide a great experience for students that are not only memorable but filled with learning! With the current restrictions we may have, we may be very limited with going on field trips. So, why not bring the field trip to the classroom? No need to worry about permission slips, filling out paperwork for the bus, packing lunches, funding money, and staffing! What’s even better, is you can go beyond your radius for in person field trips! These give you the opportunity to travel the world. This post is all you need to have a successful virtual field trip in the comfort of your classroom!
How can I prepare?
- Well, let’s first start off with where do you want to go? Maybe you’re learning about animals, so you want to visit the zoo!
- Next, find your field trip. Check out my thorough list of field trips I have included to go with what you are learning!
- Preview the virtual field trip! See what your students will be viewing. Some of them may be live, some may be prerecorded. If it is live, get a general idea of what they are viewing.
- Prepare discussion questions for before, during, and after the field trip. You want to spark discussions with your students. This is when they will be learning!! Don’t know what to ask? Here are some general questions you can ask…
- What are some questions you have about the {insert field trip}? For example, what questions do you have about the zoo?
- What was your favorite part?
- What is something that you learned? Share with a partner, group, class, etc.
- Were you able to answer your questions you had prior to the field trip?
- Where was the field trip located?
- If you could, would you go to this field trip in person, and why?
- Share the virtual field trip with your students! If you are doing distance learning, share your screen. In the classroom? Share it on your projector!
- Have fun!
Where can I find virtual field trips?
Right here!! I have done all the work for you and have found an abundance of virtual field trips for your classroom!
Aquariums
- Monterey Bay Aquarium – includes 9 live cameras of animals.
- Seattle Aquarium – includes 8 prerecorded videos ranging from 15 minutes to over an hour. Also check out their live cams and additional resources that they provide on their website for student engagement.
Zoos
- Bronx Zoo – includes multiple live cameras of their exhibits including Jungleworld, Sea Bird Aviary, Sea Lion Pool, and Ocean Wonders: Sharks!
- Miami Zoo – includes a prerecorded 7-minute video that shows rhinos, giraffes, zebras, and camels.
- San Diego Zoo – includes 10 + live cameras of animals.
Museums
- Miami Science Museum – includes a prerecorded 7-minute video that discusses levers, Bald Eagles, Screech Owls, and more!
- Metropolitan Museum of Art – includes a map that you can explore with SO many exhibits, plus a time machine and videos.
- Museum of the American Revolution – includes a prerecorded 25-minute video PLUS, a free classroom kit to go along. No need to prep vocabulary or discussion questions. This guide is for grades 2-8, and includes vocabulary, and discussion questions AND answers for each grade. And there’s more… they have also provided a scavenger hunt and BINGO to go along with the video.
- Museum of Flight – includes 360 panoramas and tours for many different aircraft!
Science
- Access Mars – interactive tour of Mars with three options (1) learn (2) move (3) travel.
- NASA International Space Station Tour – includes four space station tours ranging from 5 to 10 minutes in length.
- National Weather Service and Hurricane Center – includes a prerecorded 7-minute video discussing weather maps, hurricanes, weather predictions, and television reporting.
- Museum of Science – includes prerecorded virtual exhibits including Sounds of the Arctic, The Science Behind Pixar, Bird Flight Patterns, Design Your Museum, and more!
Other
- Recycling by Republic Services – includes prerecorded videos for grades 3-12 discussing recycling and modern landfills. Each video comes with many resources including a lesson plan, poster, handouts, activities, and more! This would be perfect to show around Earth Day!
- Farm Food 360 – includes farm and food tours from a Canadian Farm. Check out their chicken farm, turkey farm, apple orchard and more! Each tour also lists quick facts.
Now, let me tell you! There are SO many virtual field trips. Looking for more? Check out these websites for a long list of virtual field trips that they provide!
History View Virtual Tours – seriously have everything you are looking for regarding history and museums. There are SO many categories to filter the field trips, from country, to type of history, medical, military, space, transportation, and more! Each one has a self- guided field trip, along with an article to go along with it. The field trips are endless!
PBS Learning Media – has over 1,000 virtual field trips by KidVision. You can sort them by grade, subject, language, and additional features, such as support materials and downloadable! You can also directly share these videos and material to your students on Google Classroom. Seriously, check this out! You have everything you need and more!
Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History – includes a variety of tours that are self-guided. Check out their permanent exhibits, current exhibits, past exhibits, narrated tours and more! These tours can be done as a class, or you can give your students a set amount of time to explore and share what they have learned!
Visit Orlando – includes a variety of virtual tours experiences in Orlando Florida. You can check out Walt Disney World, SeaWorld, Legoland, Lake Nona Area, Restaurant Row. So much! It feels like you are actually there. So many locations, it is a must to check out!
Remember, virtual field trips will not go away. So why not start now?
Now it’s your turn!
Let us know below- where are some of your favorite virtual field trips?
