Once upon a time, field trips meant loading up the bus and heading to a museum or park for the day. But with today's technology, "field trips" have taken on a whole new dimension! Virtual field trips offer an opportunity for teachers to bring unique experiences to their students from the comfort of their own classroom.
Listed below are some of the best virtual field trips on the web that offer plenty of choices and directly align with multiple science or social studies standards.
If you are looking for a way to get your students responding to what they experienced, grab this FREEBIE set of digital response templates. Read about them here.
Teachers can choose from 3 different responses that will fit any field trip chosen! These responses offer maximum versatility to reach every learner in your classroom.
SCIENCE
Access Mars
The ultimate field trip- another planet! This engaging website allows students to explore the Red Planet as well as the rover, Curiosity.
Detroit Public TV Digital Adventures:
Great Lakes Now - Virtual Field Trips
360 Experiences Winged Creatures
Grab a lesson plan and link (provided on the website) and take your students to various areas along the Great Lakes.
International Wolf Center
Whether you're seeking red or grey wolves, this website has you covered! The IWC offers a variety of distance learning opportunities as well as free or paid encounters. Click on the "programs" tab to see all of your options.
Lights Over Lapland
Click in and choose your frosty adventure! Stunning photos and beautifully edited videos give students a virtual experience from Sweden.
National Zoo Live Web Cams
Download the provided bingo cards and click through to some fun! 5 different webcams and 4 different bingo cards offer plenty of virtual fun for you and your students.
Nickelodeon - Slime in Space
This YouTube link will lead you and your students through slime experiments in space, vocabulary enrichment, as well as some Q & A.
San Diego Zoo Live Webcams
Choose your animal and click in to watch them live in their exhibit!
Son Doog Cave
Enjoy this amazing land structure in Vietam and enjoy the 360 degree view as well as the accompanying audio.
Stellarium Web
An interactive website that gives stydents options for exploring the night sky.
SOCIAL STUDIES
American Battlefield Trust
Click and select a battlefield! These virtual tours of Civil War and American Revolution battlefields bring your students to historic spots and give them a 360 degree view.
Colonial Williamsburg Webcams
Explore eight different webcams and see what's happening at places like Market House or Raleigh Tavern.
Ellis Island
Walk the hallways that millions of immigrants moved through as they made their way to a new life in America. View the refurbished Great Hall as well as areas frozen in time such as the Hospital Wing and Staff Quarters. The 360 degree views, navigation map, and comment side bars will give your students a modern-day lens to a historic place in American history.
History View - American Revolution
Click in and watch reinactors demonstrate what happened at the Battle of Lexington and Concord. Commentary and visuals help students get a comprehensive understanding of "The Shot Heard Around the World". See everything History View offers here --> HistoryView.org
Museum of the American Revolutionary War (Distance Learning Link)
Along with an impressive virtual tour, the AmRev Museum also offers paid, live experiences for classrooms.
National Constitution Center - Virtual Tour Exhibits
Choose from four different exhibits that offer 360 degree viewing, audio commentary, and zoom options.
National Constitution Center - Interactive Constitution
A brilliant website that gives students an opportunity to explore the process of drafting the Constitution as well as a closer look at the Civil War Amendments and the Susan B. Anthony Amendment.
Monticello
See Thomas Jefferson's estate in all it's glory. Monticello teamed up with Google to bring users a truly museum-like experience. Use the map or tale of contents to explore every inch of the home and grounds (incuding the Hemmings Cabin).
Mount Vernon
Tour the estate of our first president, George Washington! The clickable links lead students to 360 degree views, short texts about specific artifacts, stories, and videos.
National WW2 Museum (K-12 Distance Learning Link)
Offering a range of experiences, the National WW2 Museum is sure to have something that will fit your needs and budget. Video archives, webinars, and virtual and electronic field trip experiences are just a sampling of what they offer. Teachers can even explore their own professional development!
US Census Bureau - Home and Distance Learning Activities
A plethora of activities designed around the Census and statistics. This website offers educators lesson plans written in a classic format that includes grade level, time needed, and the location on Bloom's Taxonomy!
Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History
A virtual version of every exhibit. Bookmark and come back for more and more!
The Statue of Liberty
See Lady Liberty in all her glory. Multiple links will bring you to every inch of her magnificence; including some spots not included in the ticketed tour!
The Vatican Museum
Breathtaking 360 degree exhibits; includes the Sistine Chapel
Google Field Trips
The Great Barrier Reef
Harriet Tubman
Ford's Theater
Google Voyager
Google has an amazing "grid". So, it's no surprise they have some amazing tools that offer your students up close and personal experiences around the globe. I have done a handful of the experiences in Google Voyager and the students absolutely love them. The interactive component of moving around the globe blended with factoids, informational text, short videos, and artifacts give the students a truly museum-like experience.
No matter what your budget or subject area might be, there is something out there for you and your students. Keep using key terms to search for the latest and greatest offerings. And, if you come across some really spectactular finds, let me know. I'll gladly add them to this list!